“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:14-17
Leading up to these verses, Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus about what it means to be born again. Jesus refers to the account of the Bronze Serpent in Numbers 21 as a parallel to the salvation He would provide for lost humanity. In Numbers 21, death was a certainty because of sin, yet God provided the source salvation. Still, the people had responsibility. They were required to look upon the bronze serpent. This was not merely observing the serpent, but rather it must be a look of faith. They had to believe that by looking upon this bronze serpent, God would provide salvation where death was once certain. They did not deserve this opportunity for salvation; it was a result of God’s mercy. This painted a picture of salvation that would likewise be offered to people who did not deserve it, that being you and me.
Jesus says, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up… Jesus bore the sins of humanity while upon the cross. The cross was ugly; it was a source of painful excruciating death. However, the cross is something that we must see, because in the cruelty of the cross, the love of GOD is seen. The unblemished lamb of GOD came to a world of people condemned to death because of their sin. Yet, Jesus, although innocent, was condemned to die for the sins that man could not pay, so that WE could be saved. God looked upon the undeserving and had mercy. He loved the world in this way. This love should certainly motivate us to live for Him.
Prospering Pathway 
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