The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 259

had bitten any man, when he bohclrl the heart of God. (3) The comprufaon, however, serpent of brass, ho livod." 'l'ho fiery fly- and relation between type and nntitypP, is ing sorpcnt, with its poisonous bite and its more conspicuons still in the fiftpenth verso, cloaclly malico, was tho vivid typo of the when, Jesus n<lded : In order that whosoever evil of disobedience to the Divine commnnrl, believeth might have in him eternal life. 1 infusing its malign venom into the whole GrRnting that the above is the true text, in nature of its victim. The serpent of brass onr translation e.n instance occurs of the was not venomous, though it bore the like- frequent absolute nsage of 1r,u-re6,,v (,ru,-- ness of the deadly plague. It was not fly- ,,.,lmv lv ab-rrp fa not e. Johnnnine phrase, ing, gliding from tent to tent, but captured, while we do find (eh. v. 39; xvi. 33; xx. still, hoisted triumphe.ntly upon the pole, e. 31) that "life," "peace," are "in him"). sign of its conquest. The serpent in Hebrew On this ground, if we retain the ev aJ-rf, ·and Christio.n litere.tnre throughout was em- we translate it as above. The oh,iect of faith blematic of evil, not as in many Oriento.l is not specified; but he who believe~, who religions, of healing 01· delivernnce (see Gen. looks with God-taught lonii;ing 1" the Christ, iii. 1 ; 2 Cor. xi. 3; Rev. xii. 9; nnd, properly to the Son of man uplifted to save, sees 1ro.nslated, Joh xxvi.13, Revised Version); and God at his greatest, hia best, and discerns it is possible to see in this typo o.n e.nticipa- the fullest revelation of the redeeming love. tion of the" lifting up" of Jesus on the cross. "Believing." corresponds with " looking" Thero are several interpretations of the v,j,o,- in the narrative of Numb. xxi. Whoso- 6,jv,u. Po.ulus urged tho.t Jesus by it referred ever "looked, lived." Such looking was an to the final glorification of himself; but if so, act of faith in the promise of Jehovah: why was not the word 6ora.u6,iva, used? It the otherwise despairing, dying glance of may mean, with Bleek, Lechler, Godet, the poisoned men was e. type of the possibility exaltation upon the cross ns the stepping-- of a universal salvation for sin-envenomed, stone to his glory, the way, not'only to David's devil-bitten, perishing men. Let them be- throne, but to the very throne of God - lieve, and there is life. Let them under- e. conception profoundly different from the stand the meaning of the Son of man thus current Pharisaic notions concerning the exhausting the curse, and endnring in lo,e Messiah. The word is used in eh. viii. 28 the burden and penalty of human trans- and xii. 32, 34: for the passion of the cross, gression, and they have straightway a life although Peter (Acts ii. 33) and Paul (Phil. the.tis spiritual, fundamentally and radically ii. 9) used it for the glorification coDSequent new, a life heavenly and eternal. Thus can upon the Passion. Surely the word does, if this vast change of which he had spoken to it ie to correspond with Moses' exaltation ,of the serpent of brass, point to the exaltation 1 I extract here the sub.tance of West- of the cross, but to that as to the very throne cott's elaborate note on the omissions from of his power and glory. Tholuck says, "A this verse. The words, µ31 d.iroA11-ra, ,i.;\.;1.', word must have been used in Aramaic which in T.R., "mny not perish, but," etc., are admitted both ideas, and the word "IP-1, means omitted by ~. B, L, 1, 33, and e. few mann- in Chaldee and 8yriao to 'lift. up' and 'cru- ecripts, by Old Latin (some), Old Syriac, cify.' " Many striking relations thus present Memphitic (lEtbiopic, Armenian), by Cyril themseh-cs. (l)TheLord wasmadein the like- Alex., Cyprian, Luciferus; but found in A ness of sinful flesh, though without sin. (2) and numerous manuscripts and versions, in The evil of sin was seen in him conspicuously some Old Latin, Vulgate, Peschito Syriac revealed, but conquered; notouly conquered, and Harclean Syriac, quoted by Chrysos- but transformed into e. remedy. The enemy tom, Theodoret. There is no tmti-Nicene of man, the world itself, was crucified on the evidence of existence, except some Latin cross of Christ. Sin was nailed to the cross texts. The words were adopted by the An- when, in the likeness of sinful flesh, the tiochene school of the fourth century. The eternal Son of God msde flesh submitted to source, viz. ver. 16, explains their presence, all the shame of the flesh. "The world is and suggests no cause for voluntary omis- crucifierl. unto me," says Paul (" in the cross sion. So Westcott and Hort, Tischendorf of Christ")," aud I to the world." Jesus says, (8th edit.), and the Revised Version omit "Even so must the Son of man be lifted up." the words with confidence. Tregelles retains The Son of man here on earth, but having them. The iv abTf, in place of .ls ab-rbv, is always e. Divine life in heaven, when revealed also preferred by Tischendorf (8th edit.), in human nature, eubjeot t.o the laws nnd Westcott and Hort, with far less apparent destiny of the flesh, "must" be lifte,I up. reason, for the latter is fouud in N, r, 6, Thie pathway to his glory must pass tl.rougb other manuscripts, Old Latin texts, Vulgate, ,the blood nnd agony of the Passion. 'l'here Chrysostom, Cyril, Theodore!, etc. Lach• was e. needs-be iu the Divine counsel, in the mann 1·eads, lir' a.uTov. The authorities for purposes of Divine love, in the full measure the former seem to be B, T, aud one or twq of the grace which wa.e welling from tae quotations from Latin Fiitbers.  122 THE GOSPEL ACOORDING TO ST, JOHN. [err. m.1-30.