Hebraic Musing – What’s
the real message in John 3:16?
The chapter and verse designations in
the Bible are somewhat arbitrary as the original intent was to make referencing
the Bible easier. But, all too often the
chapter/verse breaks disrupt the context of the message.
John 3:16 is a classic verse that so
many memorize, quote and point to as stand-alone verse about God’s love for man
and a simple call to simply believe in Jesus.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV But, the significance of this reference
changes when we put that verse into context if we start with the words of Jesus
in vs.14 & 15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of
Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
What is the significance of Jesus’ reference to the snake on a
stake in Numbers 21:8 “The Lord said to
Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten
can look at it and live.’"? Jesus is pointing out that when the snake was
lifted up on a pole by Moses and you believed, as evidenced by looking at it,
you would be saved from death. Why a
snake? What did that “Snake on a
pole/stake/cross” represent? The snake
represents sin. Jesus is reminding us to
recognize that we have all been bitten by the snake and are born with an evil/sin
nature. This is the sin deserving death
that all mankind deserves.
Key concept – remember that Jesus became sin on the cross. Those who saw themselves as okay saw no
need to look upon the snake and acknowledge the horribleness it represents;
thus they will die in their denial of their sinfulness. BTW – Why did Jesus become unrecognizable on
the cross? Did He become the
representation of the snake?
So, this conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus in John chapter
3 is about recognizing our sinful nature; and that we need to recognize the
role of faith in knowing who Jesus really did for us. It is indeed about being born again and that
salvation requires three inter-related things –
1. Recognition of our sinful nature which leads to death, and
2. Looking at our sin on the cross/stake/pole in the form of Jesus, the Son of God.
3. Repentance
1. Recognition of our sinful nature which leads to death, and
2. Looking at our sin on the cross/stake/pole in the form of Jesus, the Son of God.
3. Repentance
So in the OT passage, Jesus had already been lifted up on the
cross/stake as the source of salvation, not dying. Nicodemus is being reminded that the sin-snake
has bitten all of us, thus we are in need of a Savior.
These verses are definitely about the demonstration of God’s love
that he sent Jesus, His Son, to be the snake upon the pole that we can look at it
in faith and thus we would be saved from
the certain death that entered our lives the day the serpent, sin, bit
mankind. Unless we look at and
acknowledges the sinfulness in our lives and repent, we cannot accept and
receive the benefit of the sin offering.
We fear to look at the sin, it is foul, disgusting, horrific, just as
the snake was to look at on the pole. We
need to realize that Jesus was on the cross because he became our sin; He
became you and me to die for you and me on that cross.
When Jesus said that God gave “his one and only Son,” He is making
reference to His being given for the purpose of being the object of faith to be
viewed and acknowledged on a “tree”, “pole”, and/or cross. So, to receive healing and salvation we need
to look with faith on Jesus as the perfect, blameless lamb sacrificed for our
sinful nature.
Points to ponder
Is John 3:16 about God’s love, or about our recognizing
our sinful nature?
Does salvation require more than just simple belief that
Jesus existed?
Let’s learn to read John 3:14-16 without the manmade
breaks.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom 3:23-24
Yosef a.k.a.
Joe Brusherd April
25, 2017
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