Something I learnt to-day: Christ the Bronze Serpent
February 27, 2010
Most people do not like likening Christ as a serpent; nevertheless it’s in scripture and I believe that it has spiritual significance for us. In Numbers, the bible provides the analogy of the bronze serpent, that is a representation of what Christ would be for us.
Christ took on the likeness and form of a creature of sin, man. When Adam submitted himself to and took participation with satan in the garden of eden, he participated in sin with the devil; taking on the devil’s likeness and his nature. And from then onwards, the corrupting nature of sin became part of our human make up.
Then comes Christ. Bearing the image and likeness of man, being fully subject to the fallacies of mankind and accordingly the temptations that ensue. For all intentions and purposes, Christ was fully human; but also fully God.
He came as one of us; subject to sin and temptation. He walked, ate and smelled like one of us; born of sin and destined to die. Human. However, despite being born a ‘serpent’, instead taking on the nature of a serpent, he was not overcome and instead overcome sin, the world and everything in it, was exalted up, having the likeness of sin but had overcome sin, the fruit of sin which is death and became our salvation. The very sight of Him gives salvation. In taking on the nature of a created human, he was able to crucify sin in himself, and trampling the power of death and crushing satan’s head now and forever more. King of the Jews, our Immanuel, Messiah and King, great and mighty to save.
