The Brass Serpent: An Archetype of Jesus Christ
The Brass Serpent
John 3
14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up:
15. That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The Lord Jesus in discourse with Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, alluded to Moses raising the brass serpent to illustrate how it was a prototype or foreshadowing of His crucifixion.
Moses Raising the Brazen Serpent
Why was the brazen serpent raised up by Moses in the wilderness? How is it a foreshadowing of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?
The explanation has to deal with the House of Israel, and their constant murmurings, blasphemous statements against Jehovah, and evil speaking of His anointed servant. Moses is a prophet of God, afterall!
Numbers 21
5. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread [i.e.: manna].
Well, what follows after this is a natural consequence for their rebelling against God and Moses. Notice how there is a sense of entitlement and ingratitude among these people.
6. And the Lord sent fiery [or poisonous] serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
These people, recognizing their grave error, were penitent: seeking forgiveness and mercy.
7. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that He take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Symbolism of the Brazen Serpent
"And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, ... yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved."
-2 Nephi 25:20
"And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal."
-Helaman 8:15
Many, I'm sure, can also associate the symbol for the Blue Cross Shield in association with its meanings for medicine and healing.*
Those who looked upon the brazen serpent were spared from dying. What about those who didn't look, and why did they refuse?
"And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts ...; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished."
-1 Nephi 17:41, emphasis added
Why did these stubborn ones perish when it was so simple? Why might anyone of us refuse to do something when it's a simple thing to do. More often than not, it's in our carnal, sensual natures, to desire to see something huge in order to call it "miraculous". It's rather easy to overlook things that appear simple to us, but it's actually the small and simple things we need to pay attention to.
Alma 37
6. Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
7. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.
Crucifixion and Death
"And the God of our fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel."
-1 Nephi 19:10
Triumph Over Death
The capstone to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, of course, is His resurrection from the dead.
"And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death."
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