The Israelites were grumbling as they walked through the wilderness to the Promised Land. They had complained earlier about the lack of food and God provided them with fresh manna every morning; however, they were ungrateful and began to detest God's provision of food. They murmured bitterly not only against Moses but against God as well. So, God sent poisonous serpents and the people repented of their sin; interestingly, the Lord did not remove the serpents. God provided a path to healing - looking at the bronze serpent that Moses held up - but the effects of the sin remained. John used the same image in Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus (Jn 3:14). Belief in Jesus would be the path to healing.

Jesus was having an argument with some Jews. Jesus claimed that he was from above, from God the Father, and those in the crowd who were challenging him were from below. For John, the root of all sin was refusal to believe in Jesus (8:24); believing that Jesus came from above and was the "I AM" who would enable people to overcome their sin. Just as the Israelites wandering in the desert seemed to lose faith and trust in God, so too the Jews in Jesus' day were reluctant to believe in Jesus. We also often find faith difficult. Gratitude and trust in the Lord are central to our relationship with God.