https://youtu.be/vTUDRKwPHWI

Numbers 21:1-9

21 When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2 Then Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, 'If you will indeed give this people into our hands, then we will utterly destroy their towns.' 3 The Lord listened to the voice of Israel, and handed over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their towns; so the place was called Hormah.

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.' 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.' So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.' 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

-- John 3:14-15 (NRSV)

14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

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Title: Fulfillment

Scripture: Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-15

Preacher: David McBride

Date: April 20, 2025

Series: John

What a powerful picture we have in our Old Testament reading. The people of Israel sinned against God and he turned his back on them allowing poisonous snakes to bite them and many died. But God provided a way of healing. All they had to do was look at the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up on a pole. The imagery is so strong it almost feels like a foreshadowing of what Jesus was speaking about when he told Nicodemus, And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

This is one of my favorite but most misunderstood analogies in the Bible. I have heard many preachers say the bronze serpent is a type of Christ. But is that accurate? Does the curse of God fall on Jesus? Does God need to turn his back on Jesus as he turned his back on Israel? Is Jesus cursed?

If a bronze Serpent is a symbol of judgement and curse, what does it mean for Jesus to be lifted up like the serpent. We even sing a song that says, the curse is broken. So, was Jesus cursed?

The answer is yes and no, and depends on how you read the story of the bronze serpent. In scripture, God does not curse Jesus, but he does allow him to become the object of the curse. There is a difference.

Looking at the story of the fiery serpents, we have a picture of what is happening. The people had sinned and judgment fell. If the people were going to be saved, something had to be done about the judgement. Since the judgement was coming from God, only God could deal with it. So God instructs Moses to lift up a serpent on a pole, and all who look at it will live.

Here, God provides a remedy for the judgement that befell the people. The people are not saved because they earned it. They did not have to say a magic prayer. They did not have to walk an aisle. They did not have to pay money. They just had to look at the remedy God provided.

Now, was it the remedy that was the cure or was it their act of faith in looking to the remedy? I think it's both. It reminds me of the song Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. The lyrics go, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.

This really typifies the story of the bronze serpent in a powerful way. The people had to look at something that represents their sin in order to be healed of their sin. In the same way, we must look at the cross, a symbol of our sin and the judgement we deserve, but through faith in Jesus who took that judgement upon himself, we are healed.

But, even deeper, Paul says in Galatians 3:13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Jesus became a curse for us so that we could be free from the curse of sin and death. But Jesus did not stay dead. He rose again, defeating sin and death forever. So, the curse is truly broken.

Now, let us look at the story through the lens of John 3:14-15. Jesus says, And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Jesus uses this Old Testament story as a teaching tool about what he came to do. Just as the people of Israel looked at the serpent and lived, we look at Jesus and live. But Jesus is not the serpent, he is the one who is lifted up. The serpent represents the curse, but Jesus takes the curse upon himself. So, the analogy is not that Jesus is the serpent, but that Jesus is the one who is lifted up like the serpent was lifted up.

This is an important distinction because the cross is not just a symbol of our sin, it is also a symbol of God's love. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. The cross is not just about our sin, it is about God's love for us.

So, as we look at the cross, we see both our sin and God's love. We see the curse and the remedy. We see the judgement and the grace. We see the death and the life. We see the fullness of God's plan for our salvation.

Let this be a reminder to you today that God has provided a way of escape from the curse of sin and death. All you have to do is look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. He is the one who was lifted up for you. He is the one who took the curse. He is the one who offers you life.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to look to you, the author and finisher of our faith. Help us to remember that you have provided a way of escape from the curse of sin and death. Help us to look to Jesus, the one who was lifted up for us. In Jesus' name, Amen.