I was reading an article last night that said there is a ladder leading from us to God and that at the bottom of the ladder are all the ordinary good things that surround us in our lives. These ordinary good things, the author said, are “figments” of God … I suppose by that he means that they provide insights into God’s goodness and what God wants for us, but are mere shadows of the promise in store for us. We ascend the ladder, he continued, by learning, asking questions, thinking, and even through suffering.
This idea of a ladder reaching to the divine isn’t new. Aristotle envisioned ascent through reason and virtue … a steady climb toward the highest good. The theologian Thomas Aquinas wrote of a “great chain of being” or ladder of existence, where God’s grace perfects humanity and the soul rises step by step toward God.
And there, in Genesis 28, there’s Joseph, asleep in the wilderness and dreaming of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven, and angels moving up and down the ladder. Heaven is not closed, but connected.
Is there a ladder? And, if so, where is it now? Because I don’t see much evidence that we, as a world, are climbing it – whether by reason, virtue, or soul’s rising.
The New Testament offers a different point of view. The ladder is no longer an idea, a discipline to be endured, or even a dream.
The ladder is a person – Jesus Christ.
In John 1:51, Jesus says that heaven will open, and the angels of God will ascend and descend “on” the Son of Man. It’s an echo of Jacob’s vision, but with a twist. “On” is an interesting – and intentional – choice of words. The ladder, it turns out, isn’t something … it’s someone.
So, if Christ is the ladder, how do we ascend? Not by climbing through intellect alone. Not by taking carefully measured steps as Aquinas envisioned, although he came close.
It starts with faith in Christ … and continues by abiding in Christ. In fact, once we take the first step, we find that Christ is already there to meet us and give us a hand up. Yes, we should be learning, thinking, and asking questions. And, yes, there may be suffering. But climbing the ladder isn’t about us and our efforts; it’s about what Christ does in us if we let him.
Aristotle said we have to think our way to God. Aquinas said our souls rise slowly, step by step, to get to God. Jacob had to fight God to get up his ladder. But Jesus offers us a different, and much easier, way. Take his hand, hold on tight, and let him connect us with God.
The ladder stands … but not to merely reach us toward God. It brings God near to us. A heavy pondering, prompted by a short article that probably never intended to open up this “can of worms.” What do you think?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, our living ladder, teach me to hold onto you rather than try to do it all on my own. Lift my heart by your grace,
and shape me in humility, faith, and love. Draw me ever closer to you. Amen.
