What Are We to Make of Snakes and Trees in the Bible?
Good Morning Friends,
There are numerous references to serpents in the Bible and the journey takes us from the temptation in the garden and original sin, to Moses and a healing in the desert, to the temptation of Christ in the desert, a conversation with Nicodemus and finally to the cross. The journey is interesting and instructive, so this morning I thought we would ponder the question it presents us. What Are We to Make of Snakes and Trees in the Bible?
Scripture: Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ‘ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’
Genesis 3:1-5 (NRSV)
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Psalms 91:11-13 (NRSV)
Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’ But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, ‘Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3.13-14 (NRSV)
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Numbers 21:4-9 (NRSV)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ‘Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ‘ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ‘ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ‘ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Matthew 4:1-11 (NRSV)
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
John 3:14 (NIV)
Message: Today we look at the prescribed method whereby we must be saved from temptation…saved by God through the means of looking with faith to Jesus on the cross. The method might at first seem odd or maybe even crazy. But it really amounts to denying ourselves so we might follow Jesus. So today we face our sin and connect the Bronze Serpent of Moses and the Cross of Jesus with an offer of salvation. Ok, let us face the problem we have with this story. We do not like comparing Jesus the man and Jesus our Lord to a snake. Our idea is of the snake in the garden with Adam and Eve and we reject this idea, at least at first, of linking Jesus to the snake…to sin. But Jesus compares Himself to a snake and for that reason alone we need to pay a little more attention to this story. To make sense of it we need to put it in the spiritual and historical context of Moses on the journey to the Promised Land and us on our journey as well. Perhaps then it will seem less bizarre. You see both the Hebrews in the desert and we today are the beneficiaries of a God who gives and gives and gives getting in return whines and whines and whines. I think we can and should relate to that reality. What we deserve is punishment and that is what we are going to get if we do not learn from God’s response and solution. Sure God could have just taken the snakes away, but instead He offers a better way that gives us the dignity of choice. God provides a way for people to survive the bite of the apple…the bite of the snake and live. God offers a simple and merciful way to save us from our sins…from death. We are to look up and live. Here it is not the law but an act of faith. If we want the grace of new birth we must look on the Son of Man on a cross. Jesus becomes the curse so that we might be rescued.
Pray we understand the message of the serpent and the cross…of life…mercy… forgiveness and love. Pray we raise our eyes to the offer of salvation. Pray we face our deliverance. Pray we repent. Pray we look to Jesus and ask forgiveness. Pray that the poison leave our system and the healing begin. Pray we take up our cross…His will for us… and choose to follow Him out of our desert. Pray we not try God’s patience. Pray we have faith. Pray we realize that the love of Christ is proclaimed on the cross. Pray we realize that Jesus became our sin to defeat death. Pray we realize that this is what had to happen so the wrath of God would be satisfied. Pray we realize this event was what released the power of the Holy Spirit to open the gates of the kingdom of heaven.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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