Lifted Up For Your Sake

John 3:14-16

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Here we are in Holy Week and we are considering especially the passion, the suffering, the death of our Savior Jesus. And as we consider how Jesus willingly goes to the cross, it’s important for us to consider an Old Testament story that Jesus himself pointed to in explanation of his coming mission.

Remember how the Israelites were out in the wilderness? They once again were complaining. They were grumbling against God and how he was providing for them, or how they felt that he was not providing for them. God allows venomous snakes, fiery serpents to enter into the camp, bite people, and even cause people to die. The people then turn to Moses and they repent. They say we should not have sinned against the Lord like this. Go to the Lord on our behalf, Moses. Help us.

God then gives Moses a plan. He instructs Moses to build this bronze serpent and put it on a pole so that everyone who was bitten by one of those poisonous snakes, if they turned and looked upon that bronze serpent, they would not die, but they would live. As we consider our Savior and his passion and his suffering and death, we see a parallel between those Old Testament people and ourselves. We admit that we have done things that we should not have done. We admit that we deserve to die because of our sins. All the times we have grumbled and complained against God, and yet we’ve had a high priest who goes to God on our behalf and our Lord Jesus, and even offers himself to be that bronze serpent on the pole that if we look to, we will not die, but we will live.

Jesus talked about this early on in his ministry to Nicodemus. In John chapter three, Jesus said,

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:14-15)

And then, of course, one of the most famous verses in the Bible comes next.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

As we celebrate in this holy week, our Savior’s willingness to go to the cross. We turn to him, we look upon him and we see a serpent on a pole. We’re told that Jesus became sin for us. Our sins are transferred there to the cross and he becomes our salvation. We turn to him with faith. Our sins are completely paid for. We don’t have to worry about death. Instead, we are promised eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus.

And in a few short days, of course, that’ll be magnificently proclaimed with the open and empty tomb. Everything Jesus has done for you and me, his suffering, his death that he willingly endured for our sake. It counts for us. Our sins are completely forgiven, thanks to the Son of Man being lifted up, put to death for us, for our sakes.