The Hebrew people grumbled and complained about God and Moses. The judgement for this was an infestation of poisonous serpents. The people repented, but the snakes remained; God gave Moses a means of healing. Those bitten were to look at the bronze snake to be healed. God forgives us of our sins, but some consequences remain even after we are forgiven. The darkness that the world experiences results from our attitudes and actions.

Jesus had been teaching in the temple, and although the people were angry, there was no attempt to arrest Him because His time had not yet come. He continued sharing that He was going away, and they couldn't follow Him. The Jews wondered if Jesus would kill Himself, but Jesus clarified what He meant. The people had difficulty understanding because they belonged to different worlds - they belonged to this world below but Jesus, to the world above. The key to understanding Jesus' teachings was to believe that He was the I AM - the name of God. Jesus came from God, and by believing Jesus' teachings, they would follow the divine will.