What is the meaning of John 3:14? Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness • Jesus reaches back to the historical account in Numbers 21:4-9 where poisonous serpents struck Israel. God told Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” • The bronze snake became a visible, God-given remedy. No rituals, payments, or works—only trusting obedience: look and live (Numbers 21:8-9). • That episode foreshadowed a greater rescue. The Israelites’ physical healing prefigures spiritual healing from sin (Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:5). • Even centuries later the object itself had no power; King Hezekiah destroyed it when people turned it into an idol (2 Kings 18:4). The saving power was always the Lord’s word and promise. so the Son of Man • “Son of Man” is Jesus’ favorite self-designation, tying Him to Daniel 7:13-14 while emphasizing His genuine humanity (John 1:14; Hebrews 2:17). • By using this title here, Jesus declares that the promised, heaven-sent Messiah Himself will parallel Moses’ lifted serpent—He will become the focus of saving faith (John 6:27; Luke 19:10). • The comparison underscores both similarity and superiority: Moses was servant; Jesus is Lord (Hebrews 3:5-6). The bronze image pictured sin judged; Jesus will bear sin in His own body (2 Corinthians 5:21). must be lifted up • “Must” speaks of divine necessity—God’s set plan (Acts 2:23). The cross was not an accident but the ordained path of redemption (Isaiah 53:10). • “Lifted up” points to the literal elevation of Christ on the cross (John 12:32-33) and also to His ultimate exaltation (Philippians 2:8-11). • Salvation hinges on this lifting: – Sin’s penalty satisfied (Romans 3:25-26). – God’s love displayed (Romans 5:8). – A universal invitation issued: “Everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 3:15). • As Israel had to look in faith to the bronze serpent, every sinner must look in faith to the crucified and risen Christ (Acts 16:31; 1 Peter 2:24). summary John 3:14 links a familiar Old Testament rescue to the climactic New Testament redemption. The bronze serpent showed that looking in faith to God’s provided remedy brings life; Jesus declares He is that remedy—truly human, yet heaven-sent, necessarily lifted up on the cross so that all who look to Him with believing hearts are eternally healed. |
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