“No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (The Message)

The experience of the supernatural new birth is only possible because Jesus died on the Cross, in our place, out of great love for us. He ‘had’ to die. It was a necessity. But our salvation is not automatic. There has to be a response on our part. We have to receive the benefits of the Cross by faith.

The one-sentence summary of the gospel contained in John 3:16: ‘…is the most famous portion of Christian Scripture, and probably the most often-memorized and often-quoted portion of any holy text in human history…God loved mankind enough to send His Son to save them, but those who reject Jesus remain condemned.’ (BibleRef)

It is characteristic of John to refer to Jesus’ death as a ‘lifting up’. He probably uses this expression in two senses: a.) Jesus was physically lifted up on the Cross; b.) but also the Cross is His supreme glory. What was generally regarded in those times as the ultimate in shame God sees as Jesus’ greatest glory.

We also note that the death of Jesus was wonderfully and beautifully prefigured in the story of Moses and the bronze snake (See Numbers 21:6-9). It is awesome to see how the entire Bible hangs together with the Cross at the very centre.