Two verses before John 3:16, one of the most well-known Bible verses, Jesus makes a statement of prophecy that was due to fulfilled in less than three years time: the judgement of sin at Calvary. This event was first declared way back at the Fall of Man in the first prophetic utterance recorded in Scripture and 2000 years before Christ came, it was played out in a very specific shadow which He now brought up: the brass serpent in the wilderness.
Joh 3:14-15 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.
Let’s have a look at the striking image that Jesus equated with himself – the image of a brass snake wrapped on a pole. We will examine verses that overlap or cross reference with the original event in light of what was to come, what the brass serpent and the surrounding story speak representatively, and the powerful message of love that emanates from this Old Testament shadow.
To set the stage, we first need to read the story, found in Numbers 21:4-9
And they (the people of Israel) journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Let’s start with a look at the key representative elements of this story. As we bisect the story and its elements, we will have a look at other Scripture references that cross over and intersect to flesh out the meaning of the shadow:
- A rebellious people
- A God of judgement
- Fiery serpents whose bite causes death
- Moses as an intercessor
- A brass serpent
- A pole
- A God of mercy
The story opens with God’s people rebelling against His leadership. This rebellion brings a swift judgement from God in the form of fiery serpents. This judgement from God is compelled by the fact that He has declared Himself to be just (Deu32:4). If He is to be just, then it would be unjust to ignore any sin. And so, in a display of His justice, when His people sin, judgement falls.
The form of judgement are fiery serpents and their bite leads to death. In this very sentence perhaps you can feel a harbinger of something Paul and James would declare two thousand years later – sin brings death.
Here we will pause to examine the first major symbolic element: the fiery serpent. The fact they were fiery serpents is no accident. It harks back to Genesis 3, where the serpent was the vehicle through which Satan would tempt and cause mankind to fall, bringing death. The Bible equates serpents and ‘dragons’ with being symbols of both sin and the devil in at least two other passages, receiving a tick of approval if we are to use the principle of two witnesses to establish something. (Isa 27:1 Rev 12:9)
As though to drive home what these serpents were, the fact their bite brought death should complete the picture – these serpents should be understood as representative of sin – sin that brings death.
It’s at this point that we now enter into a second shadow of the Old Testament, though we shall not spend much time here as it is for another time to examine Moses as a type of Christ. It is worthwhile to note here, however, that if we are to insert Christ in for Moses as to fill the shadow, we have a powerful image of the One God enacting redemption. He is both intercessor and judge. He both provides the cure and is the cure.
Now we come to perhaps the most striking element of this shadow: the brass serpent. We have previously covered the idea of the serpent representing sin. Interestingly, when Jesus Christ speaks of this story, he equates himself to be in the place of the serpent! I would go so far as to say, that if the serpents in this story are representative of sin, then it is Biblically safe to say that the Christ IS the brass serpent for in 2 Corinthians 5:21 it reads, He (God) hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin.
Notice how God makes the messiah sin, just as Moses (a type of Christ) makes the brass serpent (also a type of Christ). If you understand the depth of this typology, then you understand the mystery of God as stated in Col 2:2 and 1 Ti 3:16.
Now then, with 2 Co5:21 and Jesus’ own statement in John 3:14, it is safe to say that the brass serpent is a direct picture of Christ on the cross, but not just Christ – Christ being made sin. We will come back to this when we close.
There is one other part of the serpent that we are yet to address: the brass. Brass throughout the Bible is used as a type of judgement. We have not the time to look into that closely here, but sufficient to say, the altar of sacrifice and laver was brass and if you apply that concept that brass represents judgement, it certainly explains much with no contradiction. If we apply the idea of brass representing judgement to the brass serpent, we now finish with this picture: Christ being made sin in order to be judged.
Does this picture line up with what Scripture? The answer is a resounding yes. (in prophecy Isa 53:4-6, prophecied John 1:29, in fulfillment Mat 27:46 & Mar 15:34, in retrospect Heb 9:26 and 1 John 2:2)
I think it’s safe to say that the brass serpent is a clear representation of a very complex idea: the Christ becoming sin in order for sin to be judged in Him.
The pole upon which the serpent is lifted is an interesting element to consider. It could simply be just that, a pole. A piece of wood just like the cross was a piece of wood. Maybe that is all that it is, but possible, it could be seen in a second way as well.
In Zechariah 11, the prophet speaks of a staff (a pole) called Beauty. This staff is cut asunder. In reading this passage (Zech 11:10-13), it is apparent that the staff represents the Christ, the ‘cutting asunder’ his death. Perhaps one day, Lord willing, I will have the time to delve into that passage.
The point of bringing up Zechariah 11 is that in the typology of the Brass Serpent, one could possible also understand the pole to be an image of Christ (who Zechariah likens to a staff) bearing the sin of the world as 1 John 2:2. This thought perhaps evokes an even more powerful image of the God-man, voluntarily taking the shortcomings of an entire world from the dawn of time till the end, carrying it in our place (please note, this part of the typology does not have firm Scripture grounding, and may/may not be what was originally intended, please read what is written with such understanding)
And from this place, we now come to the final element of this story: the God of mercy. In all of this story, not directly mentioned, but underpinning the whole thing: is the God of mercy. A God who brings a just judgement upon a rebellious people, but then provides a way out. And when you take this to the fulfillment of the shadow – it is much more powerful. It’s the image of God becoming a man in order to take the punishment, not just of a few people, but a whole world of sinners. A God who loved His creation so much, that when His justice demanded payment, He became the payment.
What happens when you take the elements of the story of the brass serpent and understand what they represent while cross-referencing with other verses to develop the meaning to be more full? You don’t get anything new, but you do get something profound: a tying together of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. It screams the Gospel at the top of it’s lungs. It declares a story of love unlike anything the world has ever known.
The story the brass serpent tells two thousand years before it ever happened was this:
There was humanity, dying from their own rebellion, bitten by sin, in agony. And as the venom coursed through their veins, they cried out for salvation, but there was none to be found. But God made a way. When there was no man capable of saving mankind (Isaiah 59:16), God became a man! That man was the Son. He was born to die. His entire purpose for being made, was to be hung on a stick as the brass serpent was hung on a stick. And if anyone was to look and fix their eyes on the Christ, they would find life. For all their rebellion, no judgement was found at the end of the day if they were to look at the cure. Why was that? Because the judgement fell upon the Christ. He was lifted up from the earth, a curse. He voluntarily took up the sin of the world and endured the wrath of God for you and me. That’s the message of the brass serpent.
There is life in a look at Jesus Christ.
Talking Bible 
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