"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
John 3:16 is probably one of the most shared verses in the
entire Bible and rightly so. But do you know what precedes it? Can you quote
John 3:14 &15?
Jesus said in John 3:14-15, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake
in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes
in him may have eternal life."
Jesus is quoting Old Testament, specifically Numbers 21:9
but let's look at verses 6-9. Prior to these verses the Israelites were
complaining of being in the desert, without water, and saying they detested the
miserable food. (this was the very food God was providing them) in other words,
there hearts had turned away from Him, forgetting what God had done in the
past, and not appreciating what He was currently doing in the
present.
Now let's read 6-7 "the Lord
sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people" (an intercessor)
Interesting, they sinned and were bitten by a snake (the
serpent) they confessed, repented, had an intercessor, and God came to their
rescue. Verses 8-9 tell us, " The Lord said to
Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at
it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when
anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived"
The Snake or serpent, is a symbol of sin and God had Moses put
it up on a pole. "Although Christ was sinless and knew no sin, (upon a pole, a
Cross), he became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him" (1 Corinthians 5:21)
The snake lifted up, was a foreshadow of Christ becoming sin
for us. It is the faith placed in this God man (Jesus) who became sin for us,
that makes us well. Jesus uses this in John 3:14-15 when he tells us, "Just as
Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
Jesus was made sin for us and hung on a cross, lifted up. If
we fix our eyes upon Him and believe, we will live. Jesus is our banner, the
healer of our our souls. He took MY sin, upon Himself.
Sin bites like a serpent, it is by faith that we look unto
Jesus to save us, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 5:1
Jesus used Old Testament to
give foundation for the New Testament, and so should we. Let us not forget our
past, so that we may have a foundation,
for our present and
future
