Tag Archives: firstfruits

THE SNAKE ON A POLE… 7

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John 3:14 NIV‬
[14] “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up… “

What a strange symbol Jesus used about Himself! Is there some hidden meaning in this picture of a snake on a pole?

Nicodemus, as a trained religious leader, would have been familiar with the stories of Israel’s journey through the wilderness. Every detail would have been etched on his mind through years of reading and study. Every word would have been scrutinised to draw out all the nuances of its meaning.

However, his encounter with Jesus would add something completely foreign to his understanding. A man, lifted up like a snake on a pole! What could Jesus be talking about?

Nicodemus also knew the title Son of Man. After all, the son of man appears in the Old Covenant, the Tanach, with at least two connotations.

First, God addressed the prophet, Ezekiel, throughout his writings, as the son of man, a frail mortal, yet one God chose to deliver a stern message to His people.

Second, Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7 puts a completely different slant on the title “son of man.” Far from its flavour of frail humanity, Son of Man elevates a specific human, the Son of Man, to a position of unique authority, none other than God’s Messiah, and Nicodemus would have understood this.

‭Daniel 7:13-14 NLT‬
[13] “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”

“Lifted up” would also have been a familiar practice in Nicodemus’ religious system. Part of the ritual of the first-fruits offering, the “terumah “, the first portion of the harvest, was to “lift it up” to God as an offering to Him, signifying the promise of what was yet to come.

Jesus was obviously using the symbol of the serpent “lifted up”, not as a reference to the serpent’s nature but as a symbol of healing for those who looked at the snake after being bitten by a fiery serpent.

The Greek word, hupsos, translated “lifted up” has the connotation of being elevated or exalted. It means more than the simple act of lifting up. It carries the idea that the terumah offering was an exalted offering to God.

‭Leviticus 23:10 NLT‬
[10] “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest….
[20] “The priest will lift up the two lambs as a special offering to the Lord, together with the loaves representing the first of your crops. These offerings, which are holy to the Lord, belong to the priests.

The concept behind “lifting up”, also translated “wave offering” or “heave offering”, was an offering dedicated to the Lord and honouring to Him.

‭Proverbs 3:9 NIV‬
[9] “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;”

So, in those two words, was Jesus referring to the spiritual counterpart to the serpent incident in Israel’s history? In God’s economy, nothing happens without meaning. Israel’s sin, which allowed the serpents to bring God’s judgment, led to a solution that became a picture of His salvation from sin.

‭John 3:14-15 NLT‬
[14] And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

Now let’s look at Jesus’ words to Nicodemus again. Nicodemus’ question to Jesus was…

John 3:9 NLT‬
[9] “How are these things possible?”…

Born again?
Born from above?
Born of the Spirit?

Jesus’ response…

“You have to look in faith at the Son of Man, God’s Messiah, who will be lifted up on a pole as a “terumah offering,” that honours God and guarantees the complete harvest.”

Now let’s see how the Apostle Paul completes the picture.

‭1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NIV‬
[20]”But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. [22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. [23] But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

What an amazing revelation of God’s rescue plan!

A snake on a pole tells the story in a nutshell. A man, lifted up to die on a torture stake, but so much more! God’s Messiah, put to death on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sin, becomes an acceptable sacrifice, and the firstfruits of the resurrection.

All who gaze at Him in faith are miraculously delivered from judgment and death, transferred out of Satan’s domain into the kingdom of God, and transformed inside, all by the power of God’s Spirit.

All who believe will be included in the harvest of the resurrection, of which Jesus was the “terumah” offering, the firstfruits which guarantees the full harvest.

‭John 12:24 NLT‬
[24] “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
[32] And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” [33] He said this to indicate how he was going to die.”

I wonder whether Nicodemus “got it”.

A Firstfruit Offering

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A FIRSTFRUIT OFFERING 

“The crowd that was there and heard it said it thundered; others said an angel had spoken to Him. Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” John 12:29-33.

The Jewish Feasts are a symbolic display of Messianic history. Leviticus 23 records God’s instruction for the celebration of eight feasts every year, one weekly, four spring and three autumn festivals at set times. They were also connected to the annual harvest and the celebration of God’s goodness in providing for their physical needs. According to the ancient rabbis, Messiah would fulfil each feast in turn at His first and second comings.

Sabbath was the weekly feast which had a twofold purpose; it was a reminder that God rested after the completion of His great work of creation, and the gift of a day of rest to remind His people that they were human “beings”, not human “doings”.

Passover celebrated God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. They were protected from the angel of death who “passed over” the land, killing the firstborn in every household that was not protected by the blood of a lamb on the door frames of their houses.

The Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits all took place over a period of eight days, symbolizing deliverance from the power of sin, removal of sin symbolized by yeast and the gathering in of the firstfruits of the harvest. Pentecost took place fifty days after Passover and was a celebration of the ingathering of the completed harvest.

It was to the fulfilment of the Feast of Firsfruits to which Jesus was referring when He spoke of being “lifted up”. He would be lifted up on a cross to die as an offering of atonement for the sin of the world at three o’clock in the afternoon; the very moment when the high priest lifted the knife to kill the first Passover Lamb. His death would not only atone for the sin of all mankind; it would also remove sin’s impurity and uncleanness like the removal of leaven from the camp.

Just as the firstborn son in every Jewish family and the firstborn of all the flocks and herds belonged to God, so the firstfruits of the harvest were His and were to be offered to Him in a prescribed manner. They were to be “lifted up” to God as an offering – terumah – and placed in the hands of the high priest to feed him and his family. This terumah sanctified the rest of the harvest and ensured God’s blessing on the crop.

Just as Jesus fulfilled Passover and Unleavened Bread, so He fulfilled the Festival of Firstfuits. He offered Himself as a terumah by being “lifted up” on the cross and by placing Himself into the hands of His Father — His “high priest” — since, for Jesus, there was no one higher than God.

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When He had said this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:44-46 NIV.

The Apostle Paul explains the significance of this terumah in his magnificent exposition of the resurrection.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection came also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn; Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NIV.

Because Jesus gave Himself both as an offering of atonement and a terumah, His resurrection guarantees both the removal of sin and the full harvest of those who are in him and will rise again.  Our hope of resurrection lies in His resurrection because the Father placed His seal of approval on Jesus’ offering by raising Him from the dead. Because we are “in Him”, we shall rise again when He returns to claim His kingdom.

Hallelujah!