Have you ever noticed the snake symbol on medical vehicles and buildings? This caduceus – a snake coiled around a pole – has become the universal symbol of healing. It might seem strange to use a snake, often associated with danger, as a symbol of healing. Yet this paradox connects directly to one of Jesus’s most profound teachings about salvation.

In John 3:14-15, Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Let’s journey back to that moment in Israel’s history.

The Israelites were in the desert, complaining against God. In response, God sent venomous snakes – people were being bitten and dying. But when they repented, God’s solution was unexpected. He didn’t remove the snakes. Instead, He commanded Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten could look at it and live.

Imagine being there. You’ve been bitten by a deadly snake. You’re dying. And the solution is to look at a bronze image of the very thing that’s killing you? It must have seemed foolish. Yet this was God’s chosen path to healing.

The parallel Jesus draws is remarkable – just as the serpent was lifted up, He too would be lifted up on the cross. But here’s the crucial point: in both cases, healing required human action. The bronze serpent had no magical powers. Looking at it meant acting in faith, trusting God’s promise despite how nonsensical it seemed. The Israelites had to choose to look up, to believe that God’s seemingly simple solution would work.

Similarly, Jesus tells us that His being lifted up on the cross isn’t automatically effective for everyone. We must look to Him in faith. We must believe. Like the Israelites, we’re asked to trust in God’s solution, even when it seems too simple or doesn’t make sense to our human understanding.

This is where many people struggle. In the wilderness, some surely argued that looking at a bronze snake was too simple – there had to be more to it. Today, people struggle with the simplicity of faith in Christ. We want to add conditions, create complex systems, do something to earn our salvation. But God’s solution remains remarkably simple: Look and live. Believe and receive eternal life.

The questions before us today are simple but profound: Will we take the action God requires? Will we look to Jesus in faith? Will we trust God’s solution, even when it seems too simple or doesn’t match our expectations?

The invitation remains open: Look and live. Believe and receive eternal life. The Son of Man has been lifted up, waiting for us to turn our eyes to Him in faith.