John 3:14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
Once again, Calvin presents a view that differs from that which I have previously heard.
To be lifted up means to be placed in a lofty and elevated situation, so as to be exhibited to the view of all. This was done by the preaching of the Gospel; for the explanation of it which some give, as referring to the cross, neither agrees with the context nor is applicable to the present subject. The simple meaning of the words therefore is, that, by the preaching of the Gospel, Christ was to be raised on high, like a standard to which the eyes of all would be directed, as Isaiah had foretold, (Isa. ii. 2.) As a type of this lifting up, he refers to the brazen serpent, which was erected by Moses, the sight of which was a salutary remedy to those who had been wounded by the deadly bite of serpents. The history of that transaction is well known, and is detailed in Numbers xxi. 9. Christ introduces it in this passage, in order to show that he must be placed before the eyes of all by the doctrine of the Gospel, that all who look at him by faith may obtain salvation. Hence it ought to be inferred that Christ is clearly exhibited to us in the Gospel, in order that no man may complain of obscurity; and that this manifestation is common to all, and that faith has its own look, by which it perceives him as present; as Paul tells us that a lively portrait of Christ with his cross is exhibited, when he is truly preached, (Gal. iii. 1.) —John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries Volume XVII, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, Volume I (Baker Books, 2009), 121–122.
1 Comments:
#1 || 10·03·03··16:22 || Wyeth Duncan
This is interesting. I have not heard this explanation before, but it does fit with the lyrics of a hymn by Johnson Oatman (1856-1926) that used to be sung in the denomination in which I grew up:
How to reach the masses, men of every birth?
For an answer, Jesus gave a key:
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth
Will draw all men unto Me."
Oh, the world is hungry for the Living Bread
Lift the Savior up for them to see
Trust Him, and do not doubt the words that He said,
"I'll draw all men unto Me."
Don't exalt the preacher, don't exalt the pew,
Preach the gospel, simple, full and free;
Prove Him, and you will find that promise is true:
"I'll draw all men unto Me."
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