Jesus is the stairway between heaven and earth, but what does this mean? Jesus was having a conversation with Nathanael, a future disciple when Jesus made a fantastic statement. John 1:51 I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” [1]
As Nathanael heard these words, it must have reminded him of the story of Jacob’s ladder, which is recorded in the book of Genesis, chapter twenty-eight. Jacob was on the run because his brother threatened to kill him, so his mother sent him to her brother Laban. On the way, Jacob had a dream at Bethel, where the Lord stood at the top of the ladder, and angels were going up and down the ladder. Jacob may have thought he was alone, but in this dream, God affirmed that He was with Him. Jesus is God’s ladder between heaven and earth. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that no one can come to the Father except through Him.
Jesus Built His Stairway Beginning in Heaven
When you build a stairway in an earthly home, you begin at the bottom and build to the top. But in this case, the stairway started in heaven. Paul tells us in Philippians 2 that Jesus humbled Himself and took on the humble position of a slave when He was born as a human being. Being both God and man, Jesus came down to His fallen creation to die for our sins on the cross.
Once Jesus built the stairway, it would give us access to heaven through faith in Him as our Savior. Not only did Jesus come to this earth to save humanity, but His death and resurrection now give us access to heaven when we pray. Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. [2] The throne of our heavenly Father is available to all His children who call on His name.
Jesus Meets Us
Has the Lord ever met you in an ordinary place that you did not expect? My wife and I prayed for a store clerk who had arthritis in her hands. God met her unexpectedly, and it brought tears to her eyes. Nathanael did not know he was going to meet Jesus that day.
You may feel like you must work harder, pray more, or place unrealistic demands on yourself before meeting God. If we do, we find our efforts leave us broken and discouraged. The Lord reminds us that we don’t need to build a stairway to heaven, for He did it for us. In Jesus, broken people like you and me can come to Jesus through faith because of God’s amazing grace.
To learn how Jesus is the stairway between heaven and earth, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/from-johns-disciples-to-jesus
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
I love Jesus Christ. ♱ 🙏