On the Brazen Serpent that Moses Set up in the Wilderness

On the Brazen Serpent that Moses Set up in the Wilderness (Of the holy Mar Jacob) Memra 4: On the Brazen Serpent that Moses Set up in the Wilderness To the sea of your mysteries, O son of God, let your discourses bring me down: Through you I am drawn from the waves that have engulfed me. The ships of your homilies have spread over me their coverings: You are the skilled pilot in the harbor of true teachings. Moses, the shepherd of the flock, walks among the waves: To the sea of mysteries, let me enter through his writings. The Lord of Moses, who drew me from the sea as he did Moses, When he brought up the great fullness, his calling. The wonders that were in the hands of Moses, all of them came to be: That for you it was fitting, in the whole way he cast it. With the staff he took you from the side of your father on Mount Sinai, And he set you up, and you came like a shadow to the great body. The raised one of your grace showed its life to Egypt when it went up, And it trembled before him and gave a hand to his might. The great image passed through the camps when it went, And the mountains danced when they saw your burden upon the Hebrews. Your great Passover saw the heights and rejoiced like lambs, That the weight of the burden of your image might be heavy in the regions. Your sign, O Lord, Moses set up in the midst of the camps, And when the peoples saw him, all of them were confounded.

This painter and mixer of colors of the mystery: In the midst of the desert he fashioned an image full of wonder. With the serpent he signed that which is of the serpent and the exalted one set: That your likeness might be like a physician to the serpents of his people. He set up your mystery against the bitterness of the serpents: So that the stings of his people might be healed by you, life. Here love becomes a scribe for all hearers: And from it all the hidden things that Moses spoke are learned. With the eyes of the soul they were beholders of these mysteries: Whose beauties of the wild beast were lost entirely in their arms. In it Moses the great performed all his deeds: And in the midst of Egypt and in the midst of the sea and in the desert place. The likeness of the wild beast was lost and came before the camp: And all the pure ones in it were stirred from within with him. The weight of the wild beast shows to the worlds: and it hastened to go: The terror of its killing the creatures saw and trembled before it. The crucified one set in every place where he dwelt: So that no destruction might settle on the people beneath its shadow. There is no place where the crucified one was not hidden: And it was a wall to him and within it he bore his camp. In many forms Moses fashioned the son of God: And the bundles of mysteries were bound to him in all his way. The days ceased from many that are not understood: And concerning one it is said that it filled the ditch behind him.

To the mystery of that serpent of bronze that spoke now: Moses set up the image in the midst of the camp. And it came before the bites of the serpents that by a higher cause were sent against the Hebrews. The people were eating manna and murmuring against the Creator, and for their food they did not give thanks in their gluttony. They despised the grace that was owed from the beginning, and to the Provider they did not acknowledge with great satiety. The bread of the quails was sent to them, prepared for them, and that taste of oppression did not please them. Instead of the thanksgiving that was owed for the gift, their mouth was filled with murmuring, and they slandered him. The excellent bread was sent from the cloud, and the people spread out the manna, a pure portion was being prepared for them. The spirits of satiety ministered to them for their delight, and when it was prepared, they grumbled every day against the Giver. It was prepared and they murmured, for they were oppressors; it was prepared, and they did not acknowledge that it was not a lie. Many kinds of delights and goods were set before them, yet they did not know how to blaspheme when they were satisfied. The people despised the manna and reviled and insulted it; it was arranged from their food, and the hungry one murmured and blasphemed continually.

He drank water in the desert from the bitter springs of the rock. And he was not amazed at that wonder which was a marvel. Clouds and winds would bring him quails. And he would bring them to him to eat, and then he would blaspheme when he had eaten. That disciple of Moses, the great one of the house of God, and he would blaspheme, learning only against the Creator. His heart was idle, and he did not love learning. He grew thin from eating, and when he had eaten he did not wish to blaspheme. From the foods, when his soul was that of a glutton, he would not accept to say praise to the One who gave to him. He raged against Moses and blasphemed daily against his God. And he increased the oppression of that grace which was done for him. When he brought them out from within Egypt, he would fight over a small loaf of bread, and his soul would become embittered. The bread of the watchers, a small loaf, he called it injustice. And he increased his hatred for that ordinance of the house of God. He was small in his eyes, that meager portion which was sent to him. And in exchange for praise, he sent forth rage through the hands of Moses. A sweet sign came to him from the quail. He tasted it and blasphemed against the Provider in his arrogance. His food became bitter, his gluttony was very bitter. He ate honey and grew bitter with the bitter things which he would turn around. And when his bitterness grew great in his great rage, he was driven out, a castaway, into the pits of bitterness to grow bitter.

He would exalt that bitter one by means of bitter things. He was a priest who was sated and not satisfied by taking in the face. He sent his beasts into the pasture and dispatched them against the serpents. That he might contend with the evil people by means of a poisonous beast. He did not praise that he had been baptized from the Egyptians. Those magicians whose enchantments were bitter. He conquered the Leviathan who was Pharaoh and crushed his heads. And without ceasing he devoured the heads of the serpents. That great magician of Egypt he cast into the sea. And without weariness he went to the place of the priest upon the serpent. That from it might be made the image of which we speak concerning the serpent. And as these things are said from weariness. To the servant Jacob who would blaspheme when he ate. With the beasts that eat dust he ceased from blasphemy. You who eat the sweet morsel and blaspheme. With the serpents that never cease against the living one. See how much blasphemy the serpents have uttered against the serpent. The grinders eat dust and cease when they are bitter. But you, Jacob, eat the bread of the watchers and do not cease. Bitter is the serpent, but not bitter like the Hebrew. In his evil will, it is not purity that is his bitterness. Evil is the magician, but the Jew is more evil than he. For his food is sweet and his mouth is bitter from blasphemy.

Under his lips the bitterness of the asp was as it is written. And when the taste was good, he was nourished by bitter things. For he was healed by serpents. And he was anointed with the spittle of vipers. He was healed by evil asps. That by blows he might be healed who was bitter. The rows of vipers were kindled within the furnace. And with their spittle they poured their venom upon the rebels. They sought enchanters from every side against the oppressor. And his spirit was troubled, and he began to flee from the prayer. He knew that he was healed by means of the serpent. And he began to appease Moses, that he might depart from the rebellion. "We have sinned, O Rabbi; against you and against the Lord," they said to him. "Seek and be healed from the enchanters whom you have summoned." The people were swallowed up until they confessed that he was a sinner. The vipers bit him, and from his distress he was troubled. And when the prayer to the Lord drew near through the hands of Moses, the command of the serpent went forth, and the son of the Hebrews was made. The Lord said to him, "Make a serpent of brass for me, and set it up as a sign in the midst of the camp of your people. And when the serpent looks upon a man, he shall look upon it and live." And Moses did as he was commanded by God. He made the enchanter, set it up as a sign in the midst of the camp. And when the serpent looked upon a man, he would look upon it.

And when he looked upon it, he was healed by the great wonder. But if he did not look, he was afflicted with great pain. So this deed shows something great. And whoever looks attentively also sees it. Here the raised serpent displays its power openly. And its mystery healed the people who had been bitten by serpents. Its image was formed there by that bronze which Moses made. And when he saw it, pain fled from the limbs. It was brought before the bitterness of the serpents. And when it was seen, the bitterness was quenched easily. The physician Moses cut off the root of crucifixion. And he placed a remedy before the Hebrews who were healed by it. Behold the daughter of Jacob who was delivered from the serpents. And the sign of our Lord was placed in the wilderness to heal by it. The army: the serpents went out against the bitterness. And like a great destroyer, the raised one went out and spread poison. The pagans made a great tumult with the Hebrews. And the healer of the cross of our Lord stood in the midst. The legion of the horsemen came against the daughter of the people. And the mystery of Jesus like a hero covered her from them. With the tongues of the serpents, the raised one offered. And their bitterness he diminished and removed from the Hebrews. The sweet one stood to contend with the bitter ones. And poison conquered his taste by the vision that filled the wonder.

When they poured that venom upon the Hebrews, it crept over them, the shadow of its poison sweetly killing them. When the venom flew through the bodies from the serpents, by the sweetness of the cross the light was healed. The mystery of our Lord, the oak, was for the serpents. And in the midst of the desert he cried out and fled. The crucified one was raised up, and the people who were bitten saw him. And the venom fled from the limbs of those who were bitten. Moses made a type in the desert for the eye of the Hebrews. And our Lord interpreted it when he taught with a loud voice. Just as Moses raised up the serpent in the wilderness for the people, so also a tree is raised up for the whole world that looks upon it. The great image that Moses formed in the wilderness, from it our Lord learned and saw that it was his own. As Moses raised up the serpent, so a tree is raised up for me. Everyone who is pure comes and looks upon me and is healed. The great serpent placed its sting in Eve in the house of the gods. And behold, a tree is raised up, a healer, and if one looks upon me, I heal her. Demons fell upon the world and placed their sting like serpents. And it is fitting that a tree be raised up like that serpent which Moses made. For the mother of the nations, the serpent placed its sting in the house of the gods. And its venom flew through all her race to be destroyed.

And because of this, the cross was raised upon Golgotha: that you might look upon it and be healed from the bites that had killed you. Or that you might be cleansed from the venom of the serpent by looking at the Messiah: who was raised upon that place so that you might look upon him and be healed by him. Or that the bitter poison hidden in your members might be expelled: by this vision of the cross, the light of healing comes to you. Or that you might be killed by the venom of evil demons: cast your eyes upon the cross and be healed, if you wish, you. Or that the pure one might not be divided for the wicked: look at the cross, and it heals you quickly. Your sins are like the venom of serpents: and if you do not look at the crucified one, you will not be healed. Just as Moses raised up the serpent, so the Lord was raised: look at him, O man, and flee from the blow that is prepared for you. Behold, he is hung and stands so that you may look upon him, all you who are pure: and by him are healed those who are full of venom from the bites. Or, O sinners, behold, he is for you to look upon: for in his vision there is a medicine that heals all wounds. He is hung like a physician in the midst of the world, that you might be examined by him: and that the venom of him who would bite you afterwards might be drawn out from you. His vision is made like a remedy for the bitten: and by him are healed the pains of the soul that have no medicines. For this reason he was raised upon Golgotha, that you might look upon him: and that he might heal you from the bites that have swallowed you.

Just as Moses raised up the serpent, it was fitting that it be completed. This is clear: the bronze that was raised upon the pole. What was bitter to the serpent was clearly visible in that which looked upon it. And the bronze that bit it, the hidden poison, was for this one to see. That one would expel the manifest bitterness from the members. And this hidden sin pursues from the thoughts. In Moses' serpent, our Lord's body was depicted, by which all the bodies of the wounded are healed. Apart from bitterness, that one was like the serpents. This is the type that in everything was likened to us. Apart from sin, that one who heals all was likened to us. And by him we are healed, for if not by him, there is no life. In that serpent there was no bitterness of serpents, nor sin in our Lord's body that was likened to us. In the matter of bitterness, Moses' serpent was like a serpent, and as by a mystery it conquered the bitterness of the serpents. And without sin, our Lord's body was as it is written. And because of this, by him all sinners are healed. O how that serpent was like the serpents, but it was not like them, for it was neither bitter nor did it bite. O the type that in everything was likened to us, apart from sin, as the chosen Paul writes. All the mysteries that were shown in the cross clearly, and by him all the types were truly fulfilled.

He stood in the wilderness like that serpent in the midst of the camp: whoever looked upon it was healed of every bite. O you, the image of the serpent that was raised upon the pole, and through it the hidden wound of the one who was bitten is healed. The sin that was in you, behold, placed life from the cross; it placed the wound, and through it the true healing is accomplished. And if, in the likeness of the serpent, it remained for later, his image would heal as many as looked upon it. It is fitting that these things of which I have spoken be completed, so that the mystery of the serpent might again be revealed before the hearers. Upon this history I turn my discourse distinctly, so that the word may be clear when it is interpreted by the speaker. I return my voice to that serpent which Moses raised up, so that the exalted story might be adorned by it. What was necessary for the healing of the plague among the Hebrews: if one looked at Moses' serpent and did not gaze upon it, the power of bitterness would kill him because he doubted, and he would not believe that he should run to the house of the serpent. There were those who looked and died from its wound and were not healed, and there were those who believed and drew near, looked upon it, and their pain ceased. That one who doubted, his freedom became death for him; for it was easy for him to look and to be without looking.

The sight of the magician and the reward, Moses did not pursue. The serpent stands, and whoever looks upon it passes through his affliction. His will was that the one who was pure of water would be healed. He who looked was healed, and he who did not look upon it died from its bite. Faith cried out there among the wounded: that whoever believed and saw the serpent lived by his sight. And he who did not believe, the bitterness of the serpents killed him, and he was not healed because he did not wish to look as he was commanded. And here faith heals the wounds, and by the will of the one who heals, his health is established. The raised one was simple, and the reward does not pursue you at all. And if you look upon it, the magician heals and cures you. Behold, the serpents have wrought destruction in the whole world. O you who are bitten, look upon the raised one, and he will heal you. Do not be sick; the sight of the revealed one is swift before many: for if it is swift in its bitterness, the great serpent dies. The raised one is never sick, nor does he resist; come to him. Whoever wishes to be healed by him, it is his own. And for the sinner there is freedom, and it is permitted to him: that by his will he may heal his pain without intermediaries. Behold, there is before him a healing sign: that if he looks upon it, he is truly healed by it. The sin of the body, by his own body, the dead one carries from all. By this one who did not sin, those who have sinned are healed.

as though the serpent were pure in Horeb among the serpents. It heals by its shadow the body for the bodies that are bitten by it. In that incantation which was the bitterness of the serpents, and in that sinful body which destroys bodies utterly. Its sight is its healing, which is very great; death is formed in it, and life is sought from it every day. Hanging in its appearance, it proclaims death to the one who sees it; at its base, however, it gives life to the one who looks upon it. That serpent also moved in its appearance toward the one who was bitten; its name and its sight were a remedy for the one who was afflicted. And when it was given, and he looked upon it, immediately his pain ceased, for its power was not like its appearance for the one who looked upon it. And when the one who was pure feared or trembled at the serpent, as they said to him, "Come, see the serpent and be healed, you." And he also said, "The serpent has killed me, and why should I look upon the serpent, that even by its sight I might be healed? Why should I look upon it, that by its bite I might be quieted? Let its sight depart from me, and let it go away from me, for it has killed me. What profit is it to me that the medicine of its healing for my bite is not effective, and no remedy is placed upon my pain, and I am not helped by it? Its sight is terrible, and if I look upon it, pain increases; it is the reminder of my bite, the serpent in all its forms." This also happened to many concerning the hanging one, and they fled from it, not knowing what its power was.

Death he made in it, and to those near it, life he repays. Murder it proclaims, and to the knowing it is full of healing. The foolish serpent does not love the serpent that heals its own life. To its name it heals, and it makes peace with the serpent that comes toward it. When the Church read to the serpent that came, it saw in it the crucified one, the sign of death fled from it. When it made peace with the serpent for the life that is found in it, it looked and saw a corpse within it, and it was terrified. When it said to it, "If you come to me for death, you will conquer," it found in it a slain man, and it was divided. How much does the serpent say to the Church: "To death I am a man, and the sign of death is placed in you. I saw a corpse in you, and I am a slain man; how can you heal me? I was a serpent, and the image of a dead man prevails in you. You called me to life, and how can a dead man give me life? Death killed me, and again toward death, why does a man come? I hoped for healing from you, that there is in you as you promised me, and you have shown me a slain man who swallowed me like a serpent. Death is the sign that terrifies me. And if death again sees a man in you, why should it come to you?" The serpent sees the crucified one and trembles, though it does not know what power flows from him to those who approach him.

As one who was terrified of the serpent of Moses at the sign of the bronze serpent: He was terrified at the sight of the crucified one of death at the sign of the bronze serpent. That Hebrew whom the serpent bit with another serpent: They would pursue him that he might come and look and be healed. As for the one whom death killed, he comes to the church: And he brings forth a sign before him, a sign that is all death. But for the Hebrew, when he was bitten and was troubled: All his relatives would say to him, "Run after the serpent." And if he saw the bronze image, he would not go: The sign that heals would cause him to be troubled without being healed. That first one who looked at the serpent was healed: Like a herald he was made among the people for all who were bitten. And if he saw a sick person who was healed, he would cause him to be troubled: And from the healing of his own self he would teach him entirely. And as these things were said concerning the bronze serpent: From before him, even he, the bronze serpent, looked and was healed. "Approach, do not fear, for by name it is a serpent, a serpent it is: Like a root that has life for one who looks at it. Not like that serpent that bit you, which you fear: Look at it and see that by its sight you are healed. And for me, like you, the serpent bit me and it became bronze for me: The serpent of Moses, and when I looked at it, my afflictions passed.

And when you hear the magician, do not be disturbed. It is the work of the physician: look at him and test his power, whether it is effective. The serpent is harmless, and it tests me when I am in need: I am terrified of it. All the trembling took hold of my limbs at the sight of him. Thus again the Church teaches the penitent every day: that when one reads of the crucified one, do not be divided. It also says to him: Look at the corpse on which death has been formed, and seek healing from it, and you may find it. The slain one who is placed in me: come, enter, test his power, whether it is effective. And behold, you learn that he indeed killed death. You have seen the crucified one, and you may find that he is also God, who by the coming of his death abolished death from many. When you hear of the man who was slain, do not be disturbed. By his likeness to the slain one, you may find that he is immortal. The image of death was formed on the crucified one for the sake of the one who looks at him, and seeks life: to which of the two who approach him is he attached? See, do not be disturbed by the cunning of the dead man when you hear that you may find in him that death died in him, not that he is lacking. Look at the one who was crucified, and it will be found in him that he gives life. His work is healing, and by the name of his form do not be divided. Take with you your faith when you look, and behold, no form or pain will move you when it encounters you. Not only in the revealed sight will you be found in him: look secretly, and you may find him mightily.

Do not be disturbed when you see the corpse of the crucified one: a man who was killed, crucified, who sent forth the dead from the grave. Approach him, and you can find him (the Lord and the Son: the mighty one of the worlds, who went astray among creatures, gives life. He warms the dead, raises the departed, breaks death: he looses Adam, even God, who is not diminished. The name of the crucified one moved the worshiper not to worship him: and when he came and saw his deed, what it was, he was troubled by it. When he was far off, by the cunning of murder he was deceived: and when he approached, by the life that can be found, his face shone. Just as that Hebrew was healed whose serpent bit him, behold, also the sinner whom death killed is healed. Here the magician and here the crucified one are revealed: both in the new and in the old, he made a remedy of life. Because of this, our Lord said when he was teaching: that I am raised up like that serpent which Moses raised up. A great mystery held Moses among the Hebrews: and Christ interpreted it clearly for the nations. The Hebrew formed the remedy of mysteries in that magician: and in the cross, the light of truth revealed the hidden things that were concealed. Today our Lord is a physician by his power, here and there: there his mystery, and here his standing, truly. Today and yesterday, today as then, and not changing: blessed is the crucified one who raised up the world that he was to give life.

The end of the homily on the Brazen Serpent.