Look to Jesus and Live
Look to Jesus and Live
John 3:7-15 (NASB)
7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”
11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.”
12 “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe; how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”
In John 3, the nighttime conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus is packed with symbolism. The Lord compared salvation to a second birth and likened the Holy Spirit’s work to wind. But then He used an Old Testament illustration that might seem odd to modern readers—He said the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as Moses lifted the bronze serpent (Num. 21:1-9).
Nicodemus would have been familiar with the story: En route to the Promised Land, the Israelites complained about going the long way around enemy territory. God responded by sending poisonous snakes, whose venom was fatal unless a victim looked at the bronze serpent. The statue was a representation of God’s presence, and a reminder that He was their deliverer.
While we might not think to associate spiritual birth with a snake on a pole, Jesus did so for good reason. He was explaining that He must be lifted onto the cross as a sacrifice for sin. A new birth is impossible unless somebody pays the price for our sin. Those who look to Jesus and believe will be saved. Have you turned to Jesus Christ for salvation? He is the only way to new life.