Bronze Serpent, Rod of Asclepius, Symbol of American Medical Association

The bronze serpent of Numbers 21, The rod of Asclepius (the Greek god of healing), and the symbol of the American Medical Association all have two things in common – a snake entwined pole and healing. I often marvel how biblical imagery or themes surfaces in non-biblical settings. According to the Ancient Greeks, the snake was a picture of healing because it shed its skin and rejuvenated itself. To anyone who is familiar with the Bible, mention the words “serpent” or “snake” and the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden comes to mind.  We tend to think of death!

The story of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 combined with what Christ said about that incident while talking to Nicodemus in John 3 shows us the true way of healing. It is through the death of death in the death of Christ as He hung upon the cross. To gaze upon the crucified Christ and in faith actually perceive what occurred  on that day, is able to bring us from death to new life.

In our reading today found in Numbers 21, we find the children of Israel are complaining once again. They were tired of the manna, so in judgment God sent poisonous serpents among them. People were dying, when a bronze snake on a pole was lifted up in their midst. If one bitten by the deadly snakes looked upon the uplifted bronze serpent they would not die. Instead, they would be healed and live.

Jesus pointed back to this passage in Numbers while speaking to one who was well versed on the Old Testament Scriptures. He used the incident to point to the centrality of the death that He was to die upon the cross to His mission in coming into the world.

14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:14-16, KJV)

Friend, read this passage again carefully, thinking about what is written. It contains the well-known Bible verse John 3:16. As the bronze serpent was provided by God, so Christ’s death upon the cross was provided by God to remove the penalty of death from Hell-bound sinners and provide life, eternal life in heaven to forgiven sinners, who by faith looked to Christ as their Savior.  Yes, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

I love how Charles Spurgeon came to know Christ as his Savior. It is all about looking upon Christ! He went to a small Methodist chapel in London. The preacher announced his text.

The text was – LOOK UP TO ME, AND BE YE SAVED, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.

The preacher began thus: “My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It says, ‘Look.’ Now lookin’ don’t take a deal of pain. It ain’t liftin’ your foot or your finger; it is just, ‘Look.’ Well, a man needn’t go to college to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. A man needen’t be worth a thousand year to be able to look. Anyone can look; even a child can look. But then the text says, ‘Look unto Me.’ Ay!” Said he, in broad Essex, “many on ye are lookin’ to yourselves, but it’s no use lookin’ there. You’ll never find any comfort in yourselves. Some look to God the Father. No, look to Him by-and-by. Jesus Christ says, ‘Look onto Me.’ Some on ye say, ‘We must wait for the Spirit’s workin’. You have no business with that just now. Look to Christ. The text says, Look onto Me.’”

Then the good man followed up his text in this way: “Look unto Me; I am sweatin’ great drops of blood. Look unto Me: I am hangin’ on the cross. Look unto Me; I am dead and buried. Look unto Me; I rise again. Look unto Me; I ascend to heaven. Look unto Me; I am sittin’ at the Father’s right hand. O poor sinner, look unto Me! look unto Me!

When he had gone to about that length, and managed to spin out ten minutes or so, he was at the end of this tether. Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few present, he knew me to be a stranger. Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, “Young man, you look very miserable.” Well, I did, but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued, “and you always will be miserable – miserable in life, and miserable in death – if you don’t obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.” Then lifting up his hands, he shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin’ to do but to look and live.” I saw at once the way of salvation. I know not what else he said – I did not take much notice of it – I was so possessed with that one thought. Like as when the brazen serpent was lifted up, the people only looked and were healed, so it was with me. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, “Look!” What a charming world it seemed to me! Oh! I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the son; I could’ve risen that instant and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which looks alone to him.

Taken from C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography Volume 1: The Early Years 1834 through 1859, published by The Banner of Truth Trust.

Need I say more? Reader, if you do not know Christ lift your eyes off this post and in your heart look to Christ. He will save you if you come to Him in faith.