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Moses produces the brazen serpent,
After the original painting by Ferraù Fenzoni (1562 -1645),
17th century,
Engraving on paper
© Welcome Collection |
Jesus said to Nicodemus, 'Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above." The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can these things be?' Jesus answered him, 'Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
'Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And 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.' |
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| | Reflection on the Engraving
Let us first briefly look at the Old Testament story which Jesus is referring to. During the 40-year wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, at some point the people grew impatient and frustrated. They started speaking out against God and Moses. So ‘the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people” (Numbers 21:6). Many were bitten and died. Regretting that they had spoken out against God and repentant of their sins, the people went to Moses to ask for help. He prayed for them, and the Lord provided a way for the people to be protected. God instructed Moses to make “a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole” (Numbers 21:6). Those who had been bitten would live if they simply looked at the brass serpent and repented.
That is the exact scene depicted here in our 17th-century engraving. We see snakes coming in from the heavens in the top right corner. We witness people who died from snake bites, others still struggling with the snakes and a group of people on the left behind Moses looking at the brass sculpture, and being healed. Interestingly enough, the artist, well familiar with the Old Testament story and its link to the New Testament, has already depicted the brass serpent sculpture in the shape of a cross…
’As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus it behoves the Son of Man to be lifted up’. Jesus quotes the story of Moses to Nicodemus in today’s reading, to foreshadow His own act of salvation through being lifted up on the cross Himself. People who will look at the cross and follow the cross and pray to Jesus on the cross will now also be healed…
by Patrick van der Vorst
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