Numbers 21:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore, when he poses the question, “How can the accursed one bestow a blessing?” you may respond, “Consider how, in the wilderness, when serpents bit your ancestors, Moses fashioned a bronze serpent, mounted it on a pole, and proclaimed: ‘Make for yourselves a bronze serpent and hang it on a banner; and when anyone is bitten by a serpent, they shall live if they look upon it.’” Yet, what relevance does this have to our discussion? It bears much relevance indeed. Have you not heard God declare to the serpent, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals” (Genesis 3:14)? How did the image of this cursed being deliver your forebears? Allow me to clarify again to strengthen this in your mind. If you are confused about how a blessing can come from the accursed one (and “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), then consider how the image of the accursed serpent, which was said to be cursed, brought salvation to the people when they were in great distress. Would it not have been more motivating in faith to declare: if anyone is bitten, let them gaze heavenward, fix their eyes on the mount of God, and they shall be saved? Even without mentioning heaven, could it not be said, if anyone is bitten, let them look to the light’s lamp, and they shall be saved? Or let them gaze upon the table of the holy loaves, and they shall be saved? Or upon the altar, the veil, the tabernacle, the images of the cherubim, or upon the purification rites? Nevertheless, the great lawgiver specified only the image of the cross, and that solely for the sake of the accursed serpent. Why, O Jew, did Moses do this? Why did he, in his law, state, “You shall not make for yourself an idol nor a graven image” (Leviticus 26:1), yet mold a serpent? But what can be said to the ungrateful? I shall seek the answer from the lawgiver himself. Tell me, most devoted servant of God, why do you engage in what you prohibit, creating what you condemn? When you say, “You shall not make a graven image nor a carved image,” do you not fashion an image of a serpent? “That,” he replies, “I have ordained to eliminate the cause of impiety and to safeguard the people from idolatry; however, I now create the serpent to symbolize the work of the cross, to foreshadow the ministry of the apostles, to foreshadow the wondrous emblem of the cross.” To illustrate that our interpretation is not unfounded, listen to how the Lord affirms this ancient symbol, connecting it to Himself. While addressing Nicodemus, a leader among the Jews and a teacher capable of grasping the intricacies of divine construction, He states: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:14-15). Tell me, you unfeeling Jew, was not that serpent made of brass? That lifeless matter, resembling the image of the cross, triumphed over death; is not the reality of the cross itself worthy of faith? And this occurred after the transformation of the universe, after piety radiated throughout the world, after the faith of the Gentiles took root, after the establishment of the churches, following remarkable deeds, the exhibition of such virtues, and the proliferation of angelic living? Yet I have spoken enough to silence the foes of the cross regarding the symbolism of the accursed. For them, this is sufficient. However, we who stand in faith will thoughtfully analyze and unpack the words of Scripture ourselves. Why then did the Lord choose to reveal the act of salvation through anything other than the serpent? To counter the adversaries, it suffices to reference the example of the cursed serpent; but for the children of righteousness, it is necessary to elucidate why the image of the accursed serpent is the image of Christ—the one we revere. Let us labor to explain this carefully and you also listen closely. The image of the serpent, dear friends, represented the work of the cross. Just as the likeness of the serpent bore no venom or malice, so too the Savior—in the words of the divine apostle—having come in the likeness of sinful flesh, was wholly free from sin. Concerning this, the blessed Isaiah, as cited by Peter, states: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22; Isaiah 53:9). In Isaiah's words, one image is presented. Let us proceed to another illustration. Observe how truth radiates through imagery. The Israelites were afflicted by serpent bites, placing them in peril. Moses intercedes with God for a saving remedy. God instructs His servant to create a bronze serpent and place it before the tent of meeting. What is the significance of this sign? One serpent inflicts harm, while another is mounted on the cross? What does this secret signify? What does the shadow of this mystery convey? Just as, even though other serpents inflict harm, the serpent that does not strike was raised on the pole, so too, although others sin, the sinless Jesus suffers for all. For those who inflict harm by biting, the innocent serpent is crucified; for us, subject to death, He who knows no death is lifted up. This was magnificently foreshadowed by Isaiah when he said: “For the transgressions of My people He was stricken,” and “The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:8, 6). Let us reiterate the essence of the sacrament. Just as one serpent bites while another hangs on the cross, so here—everyone has sinned, yet one is crucified for all. This is the second image. Now consider the third. “By the testimony of two or three witnesses, every matter shall be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15). For what purpose was the bronze serpent lifted upon the cross? To nullify the effects of the serpent's bites. Thus, as one is crucified, another is rendered devoid of its potency. Do you not perceive the clarity of truth? Can you not see the power of the divine edifice unfolding through a veil? Nailed to the cross is the serpent, rendering serpent bites ineffective; nailed to the cross is Christ, abolishing the power of demons. One serpent is lifted, and the other serpents lose their strength; one—Christ—faces the cross, and the other—demons—are vanquished. Just as the visible serpent's image nullified the harm of snake bites, so too the death of Christ brought an end to death and neutralized the demons. That is why the Savior rightly applies this imagery to Himself, declaring: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

Why did Moses, almost like a healer, find a way to defeat these afflictions, preventing sickness from claiming lives? The yearning for inappropriate desires led to the presence of these serpents, and the shame inflicted a deadly toxin on those experiencing contempt. Yet the great lawgiver, through the likeness of the serpent, muted the threat posed by the real serpents. Now is the time to clarify this mystery. One remedy for the afflictions of these desires is the cleansing of our souls achieved through the sacrament of devotion. The essential aspect of faith in this sacramental act is the meditation on the suffering of the One who bore our burdens. Suffering is embodied in the Cross; thus, he who gazes upon Him, as Scripture affirms, is unharmed by the poison of desire. To behold the Cross signifies to render one’s life as though it were dead and crucified to worldly matters, remaining steadfast against every temptation, just as the Psalmist metaphorically depicted individuals who kept their bodies disciplined in reverence to God (Psalm 118:120). The anchor that steadies the flesh is moderation. Since the yearnings of inappropriate desires summon forth toxic serpents from the earth (as every manifestation of wicked desire resembles a serpent), the law indicates what hangs upon the tree: the likeness of the serpent, not the serpent itself, as the Apostle Paul articulates, ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin’ (Rom. 8:3). The true serpent is sin; those who yield to sin embody its essence. Consequently, humanity is liberated from sin through the One who assumed the image of sin, who became like us, who embodied our serpent-like nature, transforming the guilt from a lethal condition into a non-fatal experience while leaving the serpents themselves intact. By serpents, I refer to desires. For those who turn to the Cross are not subject to the destructive death; however, the lingering desires of the flesh against the spirit remain partially unyielding within them. Among the faithful, the pangs of desire often resurface; yet, he who focuses on the Ascended One on the tree dispels those passions, treating them with the fear of the commandment which neutralizes the potency of the toxin.

The serpent raised in the wilderness serves as a symbol of the sacrament of the Cross, as conveyed in God’s word: ‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up’ (John 3:14). Sin, according to a perilous progression, continues down a path as if tethered by a chain. The lawgiver, akin to a physician, administers his remedy alongside the adversities posed by sin. The serpent's bite has lost its grip on those who focus on the likeness of the serpent (though it is understood that these words are cloaked in mystery). Yet those who plot against us endure new forms of sin, as evidenced throughout history. Some, by leading a chaste life, seek to combat the cravings of lust but intrude upon the priesthood uninvited, appropriating their own ordination through merely human efforts, thereby transgressing divine appointment. This downward spiral of sin emerges from the one who history suggests incites malevolent aspirations. When the earth, through belief in Him who was lifted upon the tree, ceased to produce serpents as retribution against the lustful, and they realized that no harmful scorn would affect them, the prideful disease invaded those who had been liberated from lust.

The bronze serpent, impervious to decay or corruption, serves as a parallel to the Lord, who remained untarnished by the rust of sin and whose body did not experience corruption, as noted in Acts 2:31. Gregory the Theologian remarks that the bronze serpent is raised against the biting serpents, not as a mere representation of Him who atoned for us, but as a representation of the contrary. Furthermore, those who believe dominate the forces under their authority, namely the devil. This warrants further clarification. The individual who has sanctified their spirit through virtue and wisdom understands that evil does not possess a true essence; it does not exist within any being, but is found solely in actions. Thus, since the serpent, the source of evil, introduced the twistedness of sin into humanity through disobedience, Moses commanded that the bronze serpent be lifted up, simultaneously foreshadowing what would befall the Lord in the future. For it is He alone who, through His sufferings, nailed sin to the cross and demonstrated it as powerless and dead. One who looks upon Him and believes that the adversary has been vanquished and rendered inert also accrues strength over those forces in subjection to him, for the foe can no longer inflict harm through sensory experiences or earthly desires—domains over which he now wields power. Thus, the holy father underscores that it is not merely as a backdrop, but rather as a representation of the subjugation of the devil.

Once they have evaluated their hearts, they should engage their thoughts with the realization: ‘We possess nothing here; let us strive for heaven, for where our treasure lies, there our heart shall be.’ Through this process, their minds will begin to ascend toward higher aspirations and successfully achieve that elevation.

What does it signify that ‘the dead serpent affixed to the tree brings healing to the wounded’? The lifeless serpent triumphed over the living serpents, pointing to the Body of the Lord: the Body that He received from the Virgin Mary was lifted upon the Cross and affixed to the Tree. This lifeless Body vanquished the lively serpent residing within humanity's heart. Herein lies the profound miracle: how did the deceased serpent conquer the living one? Just as Moses fashioned the brass serpent, which did not exist prior to his command, the Lord fashioned a new Body from the Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, clothing Himself in it; He did not fabricate a body from the heavens—though His Spirit was divine. Instead, He entered the nature of Adam, crafting a new man, uniting him with the divine essence, and assuming human flesh formed within the womb of His Mother. Similarly, just as there was no brass serpent in the world prior to God’s direction through Moses, there was no new, sinless Body in the world until the arrival of the Lord, since after the original Adam's disobedience, death ruled over all his descendants. Yet, it was the lifeless Body that triumphed over the living serpent.

However, He desires your willing and heartfelt confession, so that you may openly expose your failings to Him and not conceal your transgressions. Speak to Him and confess your sin: ‘I have sinned, O Lord, have mercy on me; heal me, O Lord, for I have sinned against You’ (Psalm 40:5). The Israelites, upon leaving Egypt and journeying toward the Promised Land, were bitten by serpents in the wilderness. In His kindness, God instructed Moses to erect a bronze serpent on a high pole, so that those who had been bitten could look at it and be healed (Numbers 21:6-9). Believers! We are en route to the Promised Land, the heavenly homeland that has been pledged to us, and as we traverse the wilderness of this world, we are often afflicted by the serpent of hell, the devil. When this fierce serpent strikes us due to our negligence, and we feel the soul-corrupting poison within us, we must immediately lift our gaze to Christ, the Son of God, who sits at the right hand of the Father, having been raised on the cross for our transgressions. ‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:14-15). O Jesus, the Strength and Promise of our salvation, who reigns in glory at the Father's side! Have mercy on us, whom you have redeemed with your precious blood.

Yet, such comparisons are not uncommon in sacred texts; for instance, the Apostle Peter describes the devil as a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8, while in Revelation 5:5, Jesus Christ is referred to as the Lion of Judah. Furthermore, distinguishing between these two serpents is not complex due to their opposing effects. The first serpent brought sin and death into the world, while the latter offers salvation. The former will forever be vanquished, while the latter will eternally triumph.