The Bronze Snake
Last week I had to pop up to our local hospital for a blood test – nothing to worry about. Whilst there I noticed an image on an ambulance of a snake wrapped around a pole in blue star-like shape.
That same week I read in the book of Numbers, in the Old Testament part of The Bible, a strange story of how the nation of Israel moaned and grumbled against God, and so He ‘sent’ venomous snakes into their camp!
However, God was merciful, and showed Moses how they could be saved from this, He said...
“‘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, they lived.”
I have ‘wrestled’ with this story, as it just seems so weird! But I have to remind myself of the bigger context or narrative in which this episode fits.
God had done an incredible thing by bringing Israel out of Egypt, providing for them for years and leading them to a new destination. On top of that he wanted them to be His ‘chosen’ people. They repeatedly refused to follow God and turned against Him, which meant there were consequences.
However, God always provided a way out, in this case they had to look at the bronze snake on a pole to be healed from the snake bites.
What has all this got to do with us? The snake on a pole image is not unique to Christianity. In Greek mythology, the Rod of Asclepius is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine. You can see why this powerful image is used today in health care.
In the Biblical imagery I see that it points to many years later to the death of Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus died a most horrific death by crucifixion. He was nailed to a cross that was lifted above people for all to see.
As the people looked at the bronze snake they lived and The Bible says in John 3:14, ‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’
Wow! Let me encourage you to look to Jesus today!
Please check out our live stream every Sunday at 10:30am, simply go to www.hopebasingstoke.org/livestream
Stay safe & God bless
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader