Typology is not religious trivia. It is the theological backbone that ties the Old and New Testaments into a single, cohesive revelation. The Bible doesn’t whisper its unity; it shouts it. And few examples showcase this more powerfully than the bronze serpent in John 3. This isn’t a marginal symbol. It’s a core image that draws a straight line from the wilderness in Numbers 21 to the foot of the Cross in John 3:14.
Let’s get something straight: the bronze serpent in John 3 is not a footnote. It is foundational. The focused keyword here is “bronze serpent”, and the passage is John 3. It captures a defining moment in redemptive history. This is where typology moves from concept to conviction. If we ignore it, we dilute the full force of the Gospel.
The Bronze Serpent in the Wilderness (Numbers 21)
To understand John 3, we start in Numbers 21:4–9. The Israelites are in rebellion. They murmur against God and Moses. Their discontent leads to judgment: fiery serpents sent among the people. The bites are lethal. The people cry out in repentance. God provides a solution:
“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” (Numbers 21:8).
Moses obeys:
“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” (Numbers 21:9).
No magic. No rituals. Just a gaze of faith. That’s it. The instrument of judgment (a serpent) becomes the symbol of deliverance when lifted up.
Fast Forward to John 3
John 3:14–15 unlocks the typological depth:
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
This is not a casual comparison. The text declares that the bronze serpent was a type of Christ crucified. The parallels are loaded:
- The people in Numbers were under divine judgment. So is the world (John 3:18).
- The cure was a look to the uplifted serpent. The cure now is faith in the uplifted Christ.
- The healing was immediate. So is justification by faith.
The bronze serpent was not an idol. It was a God-ordained image of substitution and salvation. So is the Cross.
Why a Serpent?
Let’s address the obvious: why would Christ be typified by a serpent? Isn’t the serpent a symbol of evil? Yes. And that’s the point.
2 Corinthians 5:21 helps explain:
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Christ was made to be sin. He bore the very curse of sin (Galatians 3:13). The bronze serpent represented the curse itself. When Christ was lifted up, He bore the curse on behalf of His people.
Typology Is Not Allegory
This is not allegory. Typology is anchored in historical reality. The events in Numbers 21 really happened. But they were designed by God to point forward. Hebrews 10:1 describes the law as a “shadow of good things to come.” The bronze serpent is one of those shadows, fulfilled in full form at Calvary.
Lifted Up: The Language of Exaltation and Crucifixion
The phrase “lifted up” in John 3:14 and John 12:32 is intentionally double-layered. It means both crucified and exalted. The Cross was not Christ’s defeat; it was His coronation. As the serpent was lifted up on a pole, so Christ was lifted up on the Cross, publicly, shamefully, powerfully.
John 12:32–33 confirms this:
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
The Instrument of Death Becomes the Means of Life
Here is the heart of the typology. The serpent, normally associated with death and judgment, becomes the instrument of healing. Likewise, the Cross, Rome’s method of torture, becomes the channel of eternal life.
This reversal is deliberate. God turns symbols of wrath into vessels of mercy. The bronze serpent and the Cross are visual paradoxes. They remind us that salvation is not earned. It is looked upon in faith.
Faith and the Look
Notice the simplicity in Numbers 21:9. The bitten man looked and lived. No merit. No labor. Just a look. John 3 makes the same demand: “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.”
Isaiah 45:22 echoes this:
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
The Gospel doesn’t demand that you climb. It demands that you look.
Hezekiah’s Destruction of the Bronze Serpent (2 Kings 18:4)
Centuries later, the bronze serpent became an idol. The people burned incense to it and called it “Nehushtan.” Hezekiah destroyed it:
“He brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it.”
The lesson? Never worship the type. Worship the fulfillment. Never cling to the shadow. Cling to the substance.
A Universal Call to Faith
John 3:16 is not a standalone verse. It flows directly from the typology of the bronze serpent:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The lifted-up Christ is for all who believe. The gaze is universal. The invitation is global. The promise is eternal.
Final Thoughts: Why This Typology Matters
We’re not playing academic games here. The typology of the bronze serpent is the Gospel in seed form. It’s about judgment, substitution, and salvation by faith. It’s about how God saves, by looking to the lifted One.
Ignore this typology and you miss the Cross. Embrace it, and you stand where Scripture tells you to stand: at the foot of the pole, looking up, believing.
Supporting Scriptures for Deeper Study
- Numbers 21:4–9
- John 3:14–18
- John 12:32–33
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
- Galatians 3:13
- Hebrews 10:1
- Isaiah 45:22
- 2 Kings 18:4
Reliable Sources to Explore Further
- “The Temple and the Church’s Mission” by G.K. Beale
- “According to Plan” by Graeme Goldsworthy
- “Typology: Understanding the Bible’s Promise-Shaped Patterns” by James M. Hamilton Jr.
- The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (cross-referencing tool)
- Blue Letter Bible (interlinear and lexicon tools for word study)
This is no minor footnote in redemptive history. The bronze serpent in John 3 is a bright light revealing the shape of the Cross. Look. Live. And never look away.
