THEOSISGregory of Nyssa
One by one, individuals collapsed while tormented by serpents. Driven by divine counsel, the lawgiver fashioned a bronze representation of the serpent and displayed it prominently for the entire camp, thereby preventing the people from succumbing to the venomous creatures. Anyone who gazed upon this bronze likeness was not afraid of the actual serpent's bite; for through some mysterious effect, the sight diminished the potency of the poison.
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Why does Moses resemble a healer who continually overcomes passions and allows no malady to reign over the people, even unto death? The craving for forbidden things led to the emergence of serpents, and disgrace imparted a lethal venom to those who were subjected to shame. Yet, the great lawgiver rendered the power of these real serpents dormant through the symbol of the serpent. Now is the time to elucidate this enigma. The remedy for the affliction caused by these passions lies in the purification of our souls, achieved through the sacrament of faith. Central to this sacrament is the contemplation of the suffering endured by Him who bore our afflictions. Suffering is embodied in the cross; thus, those who behold Him, as the Scripture asserts, are immune to the poison of desire. To focus on the cross implies living a life that is crucified to the world, rendering oneself steadfast against every sin, as the Psalmist proclaimed, who subjected their flesh to the reverence of God (Psalm 118:120). The bond that holds the flesh intact is self-control. Consequently, since the desire for inappropriate things brings forth deadly serpents from the earth (for every manifestation of evil desire is a serpent), the law anticipates what is represented on the tree: it is a likeness of the serpent, not the serpent itself, as the Apostle Paul notes: “in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering” (Rom. 8:3). The true serpent is sin itself; he who surrenders to sin embodies the essence of the serpent. Therefore, humanity is redeemed from sin by Him who assumed the likeness of sin, who became like us, our very own kind of serpent, who transforms remorse from a fatal affliction into something non-destructive, without eliminating the serpents themselves. By serpents, I refer to desires. Those who look towards the cross are not subject to spiritual death; however, the ongoing conflict between flesh and spirit remains unresolved within them. Among the faithful, the pangs of desire frequently arise; yet, he who gazes upon the One who was lifted up on the cross pushes away these passions, like a remedy that dispels the toxic influence through reverence for the commandment. The serpent elevated in the wilderness serves as a foreshadowing of the sacrament of the Cross, clarified by 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, due to a twisted progression, continues to manifest, akin to an endless chain extending outward. The lawgiver, much like a physician, extends his healing to counter the wicked inclination. Since the bite of the serpent holds no power over those who reflect upon the likeness of the serpent (that which is spoken carries profound meaning), alternative sinful paths are devised by those who conspire against us, as can be observed even today. Some individuals, through their pure way of life, may subdue the passions of lust, yet they improperly seek to seize the priesthood, upsetting God's established order with their human ambition and desire for authority. This sinister perpetuation of sin is driven by him whom history condemns for inciting wickedness. When the earth, through faith in Him who was exalted on the cross, ceased to yield serpents as a consequence for lustful actions, and the people realized that no venomous contempt could harm them, the sin of pride then took root among those liberated from lustful desires.