[cheekopekman]

Jesus made the connection between the lifting up of the serpent and the Son of Man to illustrate what saving faith and salvation is all about: Because of the Israelites' continued rebellion and ingratitude, God sent poisonous snakes to bite them. As they watched many of their fellows die, the people begged Moses to ask God to heal those who had been bitten by the serpents.

God then instructed Moses to make a bronze image of a serpent, place it on a pole, and tell the people that if anyone who had been bitten by a serpent would look up at the bronze image on the pole, he would immediately be healed and would live.

"And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived." (Num 21:9)

God could have provided healing for every Israelite who was dying, but He didn't. Instead, God's healing was restricted to those who demonstrated their faith in God's ability to deliver them from death by looking one time at the serpent on the pole.

Jesus used this illustration to show how a person can be saved from eternal death: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)

In the following verse, Jesus applies that story to the issue of salvation:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (v.16)

Eternal life is gifted only to those who exercise personal faith in Jesus and His ability to deliver them from the eternal consequences of sin.

Actually the interpretation for lifting Jesus up is not so much about the physical act of Jesus on the Cross being lifted up from the ground but more of spiritual importance lah!  "Lift Jesus higher" is a Christian song I like very much lah! When we mention the name of Jesus we are already lifting Him up from the Earth lah! The golden snake on the pole was symbolic but the Jews began to worship that image just like the Israelites worshipping the golden calf lah!