Sign in
JOHN 3:14 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
John 3:13John 3:15
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up — the Old Testament allusion (Numbers 21:4-9) interprets Jesus' crucifixion as antitype of the bronze serpent. Both involve lifting up (hypsoō) visible to those who look; both provide salvation from death. The correlation suggests that Jesus' crucifixion, though seemingly shameful defeat, functions redemptively as the serpent's elevation preceded salvation.

Church Fathers on John 3:14

Having made mention of the gift of baptism, He proceeds to the source of it, i.e. the cross: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.

Chrysostom · 4th century

He introduces the teacher of the Mosaic law, to the spiritual sense of that law; by a passage from the Old Testament history, which was intended to be a figure of His Passion, and of man’s salvation.

Bede · 8th century

Many dying in the wilderness from the attack of the serpents, Moses, by commandment of the Lord, lifted up a brazen serpent and those who looked upon it were immediately healed. The lifting up of the serpent is the death of Christ; the cause, by a certain mode of construction, being put for the effect. The serpent was the cause of death, inasmuch as he persuaded man into that sin, by which he merited death. Our Lord, however, did not transfer sin, i.e. the poison of the…

Augustine · 4th century
Read all 8 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!
John 3:14 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy