Looking to Jesus as the Serpent on the Cross
The concept of looking to Jesus as the serpent on the cross originates from Jesus' own words in John 3:14-15, where He says, "And 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" [4]. This statement connects the brazen serpent lifted by Moses in Numbers 21:8-9 to Jesus' crucifixion.
The biblical account in Numbers describes how the Israelites, bitten by fiery serpents, were healed by looking upon the brazen serpent. This event is seen as a prefiguration of Christ's crucifixion, where those who look to Him in faith are healed from the venom of sin. The early Church Fathers, such as Augustine and Tertullian, interpreted this typologically, seeing the brazen serpent as a symbol of Christ on the cross [4, 6].
According to Augustine, the serpent's bite represented the deadly effect of sin, while the brazen serpent represented Christ, who was lifted up for the salvation of humanity [4]. Tertullian also saw the brazen serpent as a type of Christ's death on the cross, emphasizing the salvation available to those who believe [6].
The comparison between the brazen serpent and Christ is not merely superficial. Both involve a form of elevation: the serpent was lifted on a pole, and Christ was lifted on the cross. This elevation is not just physical but also symbolic, representing the public display of salvation. Just as the Israelites were healed by looking at the serpent, so too are people saved by looking to Christ in faith [5].
Reformed theologians like John Gill have further elaborated on this typology, noting that just as the brazen serpent was made of brass, a meaner metal, so Christ was humble in His human nature and appearance, yet effective for salvation [5]. The Wesleyan tradition, as represented by Adam Clarke, has also seen the brazen serpent as a remedy appointed by God for the salvation of sinful souls, paralleling the salvation available through Christ [3].
The cross, where Christ was lifted up, became a symbol of salvation, contrasting with its original connotation as an instrument of shame and death [1, 2]. The early Christian interpretation of the cross, as seen in the writings of the Church Fathers and later theologians, underscores its significance as a symbol of Christ's sacrifice and the salvation He offers.
The typological connection between the brazen serpent and Christ on the cross highlights the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, demonstrating how events and symbols in the former prefigure the salvation accomplished in the latter. This connection remains a significant aspect of Christian theology, illustrating the depth of God's plan for humanity's redemption.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Cross — As the emblem of a slave's death and a murderer's punishment, the cross was naturally looked upon with the profoundest horror. But after the celebrated vision of Constantine, he ordered his friends to make a cross of gold and gems, such as he had seen, and "the towering eagles resigned the flags unto the cross," and "the tree of cursing and shame" "sat upon the sceptres and was engraved and signed on the foreheads of kings." (Jer. Taylor, "Life of Christ," iii., xv. 1.) The new standards were called by the name Labarum, and may be seen on the coins of Constant”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Cross — In the New Testament the instrument of crucifixion, and hence used for the crucifixion of Christ itself (Eph. 2:16; Heb. 12:2; 1 Cor. 1:17, 18; Gal. 5:11; 6:12, 14; Phil. 3:18). The word is also used to denote any severe affliction or trial (Matt. 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; 10:21). The forms in which the cross is represented are these: 1. The crux simplex (I), a "single piece without transom." 2. The crux decussata (X), or St. Andrew's cross. 3. The crux commissa (T), or St. Anthony's cross. 4. The crux immissa (t), or Latin cross, which was the kind of cross o”
- John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on John 3:14: As Moses lifted up - He shows the reason why he descended from heaven, that he might be lifted up, i.e. crucified, for the salvation of man. kind, and be, by the appointment of God, as certain a remedy for sinful souls as the brazen serpent elevated on a pole, Num 21:9, was for the bodies of the Israelites, which had been bitten by the fiery serpents in the wilderness. It does not appear to me that the brazen serpent was ever intended to be considered as a type of Christ. It is possible to draw likenesses and resemblances out of any thing; but, in such matters as thes”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 61 [XXXII.]--THE SERPENT LIFTED UP IN THE WILDERNESS PREFIGURED CHRIST SUSPENDED ON THE CROSS; EVEN INFANTS THEMSELVES POISONED BY THE SERPENT'S BITE.: And since this great and wonderful dignity can only be attained by the remission of sins, He goes on to say, "And 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."[8] We know what at that time happened in the wilderness. Many were dying of the bite of serpents: the people then confes”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 3:13: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,.... The history referred to is in Num 21:8. There is, in many things, an agreement between this serpent, and Jesus Christ: as in the matter of it, it was a brazen serpent; it was made not of gold, nor of silver, but of brass, the meaner metal, and was a very unlikely means, of itself, to heal the Israelites; and might be despised by many: this may denote the meanness of Christ in his human nature, in his birth and parentage, and place of education and converse; and especially in his crucifixion and death; and which, ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. X.--CONCERNING THE PASSION OF CHRIST, AND ITS OLD TESTAMENT PREDICTIONS AND ADUMBRATIONS. (part 3): prophets--"and in their concupiscence they hamstrung a bull!"(22)--that is, Christ, whom--after the slaughter of prophets--they slew, and exhausted their savagery by transfixing His sinews with nails. Else it is idle if, after the murder already committed by them, he upbraids others, and not them, with butchery.(23) But, to come now to Moses, why, I wonder, did he merely at the time when Joshua was battling against Amalek, pray sitting with hands expanded, when, in ”