This afternoon we stood 140 feet above the Connecticut River in the middle of the King French Bridge. Since 1932 it has safely aided millions of trucks and cars across its 460 foot span. It is a thing of beauty. While we were watching speed boats below us two semis, one going west and one going east, rumbled past. Ever so gently the bridge trembled under our feet. It was a tremendous amount of weight but the bridge was more than up to the task.
It was a beautiful day and I couldn’t help but think of Jesus who spanned the abyss of sin and death. Without Him it would have been impossible for us to have safe passage across the hell that hungrily devours the lost. Millions without Jesus fall into the depths of despair and death. Every day we see miserable lives and we long to have them understand there is a way to happiness and life. In John 14 Jesus declared He was the way. Our trying to scale our way to heaven by our own righteousness is like the ancients trying to build a tower to heaven. It is so futile it mocks our feeble efforts.
In Genesis in a dream Jacob saw a ladder from earth to heaven. The ladder was Jesus. He is the Way. His righteousness is so perfect we need nothing else. If any righteousness was required of us we would most likely brag that we had done the whole thing. It is Jesus from beginning to end. He is the Alpha and the Omega. As Isaiah so descriptively put it, “Our righteousness is like filthy rags.” We have a bridge and the name is not King French. It is King Jesus.
Written by Roger Bothwell on September 7, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org