Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 4/10/2011

Question
I am a Christian and I am wondering if there is anything in the bible about crosses with snakes? My friend was telling me something about it but I really can not remember what it was and I thought it would be a good tattoo

Answer
Hi Jordan,

Thank you for this very interesting question.  I am sorry about the late response.  There is no direct reference in the Bible to crosses with snakes, but there is a reference in the Gospel of John that ties the cross to snakes.  You see in the Old Testament, there is a story where the people of Israel were being punished by God.  God had sent poison snakes to keill the people and many were dying.  When Moses asked for mercy, God told him to make a brass snake on a pole and run through out the camp and tell folks to look at the pole after they were bitten and they would live.  In John, Jesus tells us that just how people looked on that brass snake on a pole and lived, people need to look by faith on Jesus (later he would be lifted up on the cross like the snake was lifted up on the pole) and live.

John 3:14–16 (AV)
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


I hope that this gives you more understanding on this subject.

In Christ
Pastor Don