Jacob was a scoundrel. In ancient Israel, his name became proverbially associated with deception (Hos. 12:2). He cheated his brother (Gen. 25:29-34), and lied to his father (Gen. 27:1-40). His brother Esau hated him so much he planned to kill Jacob (Gen. 27: 41). Their mother, fearing that her two sons might kill each other, sent Jacob away to live with her brother Laban in Haran (Gen. 27:42-45).

One night on his way to Haran, Jacob had the most peculiar dream. In his dream, he saw a stairway reaching from earth to heaven—with angels ascending and descending on it. There the Lord appeared to him and promised, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go . . . I will not leave you” (Gen. 28:15). In spite of all the deceiving he had done, the Lord still loved him. Jacob was so moved by this when he awoke he said,

“How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17). So he called the place “Bethel” (which means house of God).

This stairway reminds us of Jesus. He is the stairway between earth and heaven (John 1:51). It is through Jesus that God descends from heaven to earth (Matt. 1:22-23; John 3:31). It is through Jesus that we ascend from earth to heaven (Matt. 25:34).

First, God descends to us making possible our ascent to Him. Jesus makes this happen. He is the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). There is no other way to heaven but through Jesus. He alone is the gate to heaven (John 10:7). As He said, “I am the way no man comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

The responsibility of a mediator is to bridge the gulf that separates two parties. The mediator does not just represent one party (Gal. 3:20). Rather, he represents both parties to each other to heal the wounds, resolve the disagreements and bring reconciliation.

Jesus does this. He presents the Father to us as one full of grace, mercy and forgiveness (Luke 15:11-31)—one whose steadfast love endures forever (Ps. 136). To the Father in heaven, Jesus presents us holy, pure, and blameless (Col. 1:21-22). Only Christ, the one who is both God and man in Himself, can bridge the gulf between God and man.

This is so unlike the Tower of Babel where the people said, “Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens” (Gen. 11:4). They wanted to reach heaven by their own works. But their grandiose endeavor failed miserably. So it is still today. All attempts for us to reach heaven apart from Christ are doomed to fail. Christ is the only bridge that can span the distance between earth and heaven—between you and your loving heavenly Father.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, because of my sin there would be a huge chasm between us. It would be a separation I could never cross. But in Your mercy, You sent Your only Son to bridge that distance. Thank you. Amen.

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Updated: Wednesday June 02, 2010