The snake is a fascinating concept both as a symbol and as an actual entity within the pages of religion throughout the world. No matter where in the world we land up the snake or a snake-like being is associated with the mythopoetic world of the area. It can be seen to represent both good and evil, wisdom and foolishness, death and life. In the Judaeo-Christian realm the snake is associated with the darker side of humanity, either as a rather cheap trickster in Genesis or the full blown incarnation of evil in the personification of Satan. So whilst the obvious symbology of the conquest of evil can be seen in the bronze serpent of Moses (Num 21:9) and Christ being similarly lifted high it would perhaps be foolish if we were not to pay heed to some of the alternative possibilities.
In the story from Numbers the bronze snake acts not as something that is evil in the traditional Judaeo-Christian sense but rather as a means of healing and thus for good. So, if we become stuck on the imagery of evil then we miss something in the story of the serpent. Interestingly there is an entwining of meanings in the serpent especially as we dig into some of the early Christian writings particularly Ambrose. Worldly wisdom is often represented by the serpent and a derivative formation, sapienta, and so the bronze serpent is seen as the personification of wisdom in its most ancient of forms. Worldly wisdom often leads to our own downfall as we are bitten by the snake of greed and avarice but seeking the wisdom of God we see this as being raised up beyond our understanding. In looking towards God's wisdom we come to our senses and are 'healed' so as to be able to follow God in the larger sense.
Those afflicted with the wisdom of the world do not necessarily see the truth that God holds up but are rather discombobulated by the truth. One could say that Nicodemus was wise in the world's wisdom and to a certain extent within the wisdom of God. However, the wisdom of the world was clearly the favoured wisdom as he struggled with what God was doing. Christ in explaining God's message to Nicodemus expects him to know what he is talking about and is disappointed with his response (Jn 3.1-21). In particular Christ points out that God's presence in the world brings the light of truth but in its wisdom the world does not seek the truth but avoids the truth as it exposes wrongful deeds (Jn. 3.19-21).
We can see that this process is played out on a daily basis within our own country and within the world even today. Any sense of truth portrayal is scorned as it highlights our own irresponsibility in the world and our own pettiness. We are so very easily led away from the truth and allow others to create the truths of the world for us. Christ's words discombobulate our own lives because they are so often the opposite of what we expect from our own reading of the world and our own interpretation of what we think God wants from us. In our lives we tend to rely on our own wisdom, the wisdom of the cunning snake. This enables us to bring sense to the world around us and thus enables us to live in a sense of false security. We are enabled to ignore God's voice within our lives a voice that pesters us to live in a manner that is contrary to the modern world. A wisdom that asks us to upset the general self satisfaction that is created by the wisdom of this world to open ourselves up to the ridicule of many for reaching out and enabling those who are ostracised in community.
The work that God enables us to undertake is the work that we do not receive reward for (Eph. 2.8-9) which is contrary to the world's wisdom. Our reward is not financial but rather the good grace of God that fills our lives with the knowledge of love. It is this knowledge that enables us to step forward in Godly wisdom to heed the concerns of the downtrodden and highlight the truth in the eyes of the world rather than masking the unwanted revelations which destroy the edifices of falsehood that we have built based on the foundations of irresponsibility. Christ encourages us to speak out in truth based on love and to build our lives around sincerity and honesty rather than hiding behind falsity.
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