Nicodemus, like us, is attracted to Jesus. This new teacher fascinates him. Nicodemus examines all the facts he can find. They convince him that God has sent Jesus, for no one can do such miracles unless God is with him. Every illness receives a complete cure – instantly! The crippled walk! The blind see! Reports from Galilee even tell of water turning into wine (John 2).
Yet the same reports disturb leaders like Nicodemus. John the Baptizer has introduced Jesus to the nation. John announces that Jesus is far greater. Though John baptizes in water, Jesus will baptize in the Holy Spirit. Though John is the older man, he claims Jesus existed long before him. More than that, John likens Jesus to a lamb. “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” What can this mean? How can any human be a sacrifice to forgive sins?
Doubts and questions swirl in the mind of Nicodemus. His meeting with Jesus only seems to add more questions. For Jesus speaks of strange things – another birth, the mystery of wind, earthly things and heavenly things. Jesus then reminds Nicodemus of an ancient event:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent [snake] in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15).
Why did Moses use a snake? What can this mean about Jesus?
“Snakes” And “Sheep”
Jesus begins, dear friend, to open a door to a great mystery. He reminds us that when Israelites rebelled, God punished them with snakes. Many people died. The rest cried out for relief. So God told Moses to make a bronze statue of a snake, and to place it on a pole. Any person with snakebite had only to look up at the bronze snake. All doing so were healed, and escaped death (Numbers 21). Now Jesus is like that bronze snake, about to be “lifted up” in order to save others.
How different the “snake” is from John’s picture, “the Lamb of God!” Yet this too recalls ancient stories. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham went to do it, confident that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together” (Genesis 22:8). God did, in fact, send a sheep, which was killed in Isaac’s place.
Later, at the first Passover, each Israelite family killed, roasted and ate a perfect young sheep or goat. They also put its blood over their doors. God said,
“And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13).
Israelites remember every year, at a similar meal, how God once rescued them by lamb’s blood. In fact, perfect male lambs are killed daily at the temple (Numbers 28, 29). Scripture often speaks of sacrifice and blood removing sins.
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
Now John commands,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Is Jesus the perfect sacrifice, which brings us full forgiveness?