“And 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.” (John 3:14–15 ESV).
Jesus referred to a scene in Numbers 21, when the Israelites were plagued by deadly serpent bites because of their sin. God instructed Moses to lift up a bronze serpent on a pole, and everyone who looked on it by faith would live. In the same way, Jesus declared that He must be lifted up on the cross. This was not simply a prediction of His death, but a revelation of its purpose. Just as the bronze serpent represented both the consequence and cure of the people’s sin, so Jesus foretold His intent to take on Himself the source of suffering for the world, which is man’s sin, by being lifted up on the cross. By taking our sin upon Himself, He became the remedy for our spiritual death. His being lifted up was not defeat, but the means by which eternal life would be given to all who believe.
We often try to fix our brokenness with our own strength. But the truth is, we cannot heal ourselves from the poison of sin. Just like the Israelites had to look up at the bronze serpent in faith, we must look to Jesus and trust in His finished work on the cross. We are reminded today that Jesus was lifted up for us. He bore our sin and shame so that we might be made whole. Let us never forget the cost of our salvation or try to live apart from the grace that flows from the cross. Instead, may we daily lift our eyes to Jesus and walk in the life He purchased for us with His blood.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your great love in sending Your Son to be lifted up on the cross for our sake. You made a way for us to be healed and forgiven by placing our sin on Him. We are humbled by the sacrifice Jesus made to give us eternal life. Help us to keep our hearts and minds fixed on Him each day. Teach us to trust in the salvation You have provided and to walk in the grace You so freely give. May our lives bring honor to You as we live in light of the cross. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.