Unpacking John 3:14-15: Believe and Live Forever

Context of John 3:14-15

To fully grasp Jesus’ words in John 3:14-15, we need to understand the Old Testament story he’s referring to - found in Numbers 21:4-9 - where God provided a surprising way to save his people from judgment.

In Numbers 21, the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness after escaping Egypt, but they began complaining against God and Moses. In response, God sent venomous serpents among them, and many people were bitten and died. When the people repented, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole, so that anyone who had been bitten could look at it and live. This wasn’t a magic cure - it required faith to look up in trust, even though the solution seemed strange.

Jesus uses this story to show that just as the serpent was lifted up to bring physical healing, he must also be 'lifted up' - referring to his crucifixion - to bring spiritual healing and eternal life to all who look to him in faith.

The Meaning of 'Lifted Up': How Jesus Fulfills the Serpent Story

Jesus’ statement about being 'lifted up' like the serpent in the wilderness reveals how salvation would come through his death and exaltation. This is a crucial truth, not merely a historical comparison.

In John’s Gospel, the phrase 'lifted up' carries a double meaning: it refers to Jesus being lifted up on the cross, but also to his exaltation and glorification. This is unique to John’s presentation - while the other Gospels record the crucifixion, only John consistently uses this language to tie Jesus’ death to his divine glory. For example, in John 12:32, Jesus says, 'And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,' making it clear that the cross is not a defeat but the moment of his greatest victory. The lifting up of the serpent saved lives physically, but Jesus being lifted up would save people spiritually, offering healing from death and eternal life.

The bronze serpent itself was not magical, and looking at it required humble faith from those who were bitten - just as believing in Jesus requires trusting in something that may seem foolish or painful. In Numbers 21, God didn’t remove the serpents immediately. People had to respond by looking in faith. Similarly, Jesus’ crucifixion might look like a sign of weakness, but John wants us to see it as the moment when God’s love and power are fully revealed. The title 'Son of Man,' which Jesus uses here, also carries deep meaning - it comes from Daniel 7:13-14, where one like a 'Son of Man' is given eternal dominion, showing that Jesus’ death and exaltation are part of God’s eternal plan.

One key word in the original Greek is 'hypsothē,' translated 'lifted up,' which can mean both 'exalted' and 'crucified.' John uses this word intentionally to show that Jesus’ humiliation and glory are one and the same event. The cross, then, is the throne from which Jesus draws the world to himself, not merely a method of execution.

To be 'lifted up' meant both crucifixion and glory - Jesus would be exalted not in spite of the cross, but through it.

This understanding of the cross as both suffering and glory sets the stage for Jesus’ teaching on belief and eternal life that follows in John 3:16 and beyond - where God’s love is fully revealed not in avoiding pain, but in entering into it for our sake.

Believe and Live: The Simple Call of John 3:14-15

Building on the image of the lifted serpent, Jesus makes a clear and urgent invitation: believe in him and receive eternal life.

This promise - 'whoever believes in him may have eternal life' - is not for a select few but open to all, echoing the universal hope found in John 3:16 and beyond. It reflects John’s central theme: eternal life begins not through religious effort, but by trusting in Jesus, the one lifted up for us.

Whoever believes in him may have eternal life - this is the heart of the good news.

This simple call to faith fits perfectly in John’s Gospel, which repeatedly invites people to believe so they may have life in Jesus’ name (John 20:31), preparing the way for the fuller message of God’s love in the verses that follow.

Jesus Lifted Up: A Theme That Resonates Across the Gospels

Jesus’ words in John 3:14-15 about being 'lifted up' like the serpent in the wilderness echo throughout His ministry and connect directly to how He understood His own mission. They are more than a one-time illustration.

This idea resurfaces clearly in John 12:32-33, where Jesus says, 'And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.' John then adds this explanation: 'He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.' Just like in John 3, the phrase 'lifted up' points to the cross, but also to glory - drawing all people to Himself through His sacrifice.

This theme of the Son of Man being lifted up also aligns with Jesus’ passion predictions in the Synoptic Gospels, where He speaks of the Son of Man being handed over and crucified, yet rising again - showing that His death was not an accident, but the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring eternal life to all who believe.

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