The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up (John 3:14-15)
Quick Summary
In John 3:14–15, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” This Old Testament allusion reveals Jesus’ mission: his crucifixion will bring healing and eternal life to all who believe.
Introduction
The nighttime dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus is one of the richest in John’s Gospel. After telling Nicodemus that he must be born again, Jesus anchors his teaching in Israel’s story. He recalls the strange episode in Numbers 21:4–9, where Moses lifted up a bronze serpent so that those bitten by venomous snakes could live if they looked at it.
For Nicodemus—a Pharisee and teacher of Israel—this reference was unmistakable. But Jesus goes further: just as the serpent was lifted up, so “the Son of Man must be lifted up.” This is John’s first explicit reference to the crucifixion, a theme that will echo throughout the Gospel until it climaxes at Golgotha.
John 3:14–15 links Israel’s wilderness story to Jesus’ redemptive work, showing that eternal life comes through looking to the crucified and risen Christ.
Verse by Verse Breakdown and Commentary
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness”
Jesus reaches back to Numbers 21, where Israel, grumbling in the desert, was plagued by serpents. God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it on a pole; whoever looked at it was healed. The point wasn’t in the bronze itself but in trusting God’s provision.
By starting here, Jesus grounds his teaching in Scripture Nicodemus knew well. This wasn’t a new invention but the fulfillment of God’s saving pattern: healing through looking in faith to what God has provided.
See also: Themes in the Gospel of John.
“So must the Son of Man be lifted up”
The phrase “Son of Man” connects Jesus to Daniel 7’s vision of one who comes on the clouds with authority and dominion. But here the exaltation comes paradoxically through humiliation. To be “lifted up” (hypsōthēnai) carries a double meaning in John: raised on the cross and exalted in glory.
This sets the paradox that defines John’s Gospel: glory revealed through suffering, triumph through apparent defeat. The cross is not an accident—it is the necessary path of the Son of Man.
See also: High Christology in the Gospel of John.
“That whoever believes in him may have eternal life”
The purpose of this lifting up is clear: life. Not temporary relief, but eternal life. The wilderness serpent gave Israel a reprieve from physical death. Jesus’ cross offers deliverance from spiritual death.
The offer is universal—“whoever believes.” Faith becomes the act of looking upon the crucified Christ, just as the Israelites looked upon the bronze serpent. Eternal life isn’t achieved through works, lineage, or law-keeping, but through trust in the lifted-up Son.
This verse prepares the ground for John 3:16, where God’s love for the world and the gift of eternal life through belief are stated even more clearly.
Historical and Cultural Context
For first-century Jews, the wilderness stories were not distant legends but living memory rehearsed in synagogue and festival. Nicodemus would have known that Israel’s survival came not through human effort but divine provision.
John’s readers, living in a Greco-Roman world saturated with myths of dying-and-rising gods, needed to see that Jesus’ crucifixion wasn’t myth but fulfillment of Israel’s Scriptures.
This also speaks into the growing tension between synagogue and church in John’s community. For those expelled from the synagogue, this passage reassures them: life is not found in the temple system but in the lifted-up Christ.
See also: Historical Context of the Gospel of John.
Theological Significance
The Necessity of the Cross
The word “must” signals divine necessity. The cross was not a tragic misstep but the appointed means of salvation. God’s plan from the beginning involved redemption through the suffering and exaltation of his Son.
Faith as Looking
The Numbers account helps us understand faith. Israel didn’t perform rituals, climb ladders, or earn healing—they looked and lived. Likewise, Christian faith is looking to Christ in trust. This frames belief not as mere intellectual agreement but as desperate reliance.
Eternal Life as Present and Future
John consistently presents eternal life as both present reality and future hope. Whoever believes already has life (John 5:24), and yet the full reality awaits resurrection. Looking to the lifted-up Son means living now in communion with God while awaiting final consummation.
See also: Jesus Says, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life”.
Connection to John’s Broader Themes
Light and Darkness: Nicodemus comes by night; Jesus offers the light of life through his lifting up.
Signs and Belief: Just as the serpent became a sign in the wilderness, the cross becomes the supreme sign of God’s salvation.
Glory in Humility: John repeatedly shows that Jesus’ true glory is revealed not in avoidance of suffering but in embracing it.
See also: Symbolism in the Gospel of John.
Practical Applications
Look and Live
Faith is looking—turning eyes away from self and toward Christ. Like the Israelites, we acknowledge our helplessness and look to God’s provision.
Healing in the Cross
The serpent represented the very instrument of death turned into healing. The cross—Rome’s symbol of shame—becomes God’s instrument of salvation. For us, this means our deepest wounds can become places of God’s grace.
Sharing the Lifted-Up Christ
If the Son of Man was lifted up for the world, then the church’s mission is to lift him up before others. Evangelism is holding out Christ crucified as God’s provision for all who will look and live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does Jesus compare himself to a serpent, a symbol of evil?
A: The bronze serpent symbolized the consequence of sin but also God’s provision for healing. Jesus took sin upon himself (2 Corinthians 5:21), becoming sin for us so that we might receive righteousness.
Q: What does “lifted up” mean in John?
A: It always carries a double meaning—Jesus is physically lifted on the cross and exalted in divine glory. John 12:32–33 makes this explicit, showing that crucifixion is both humiliation and glorification.
Q: How is eternal life in John different from later resurrection?
A: Eternal life begins the moment of belief—it’s quality of life in fellowship with God now. But it also has a future dimension that culminates in resurrection and the new creation.
Conclusion
John 3:14–15 provides the bridge between Nicodemus’ confusion and the most famous verse in Scripture. By recalling the bronze serpent, Jesus shows that salvation has always been about looking to God’s provision in faith.
The cross stands as God’s ultimate provision—both the judgment of sin and the gift of life. Whoever believes in the lifted-up Son participates in eternal life now and forever.
This passage reminds us: salvation is not about self-rescue but about looking in faith to the One lifted up for us. As Israel looked to the serpent and lived, so we look to Christ and live.
