Jesus the Living Bridge

Recently I read a devotional article entitled “Living Bridges”. As sometimes happens, the words sparked off thoughts that the writer never intended.

My mind made two unexpected connections, in fact. One was to do with an old Welsh proverb which may be translated, “He who would be a leader must also be a bridge.” It comes from the story of a Welsh giant who crossed the Irish Sea with an army to rescue his sister, who was being cruelly treated in Ireland. His sister’s husband, Matholwch, retreated beyond a river and destroyed the bridges. The giant laid himself down across the river and acted as a bridge by which his army could cross. “He who would be a leader must also be a bridge” was his cryptic comment.

The second connection goes back to 6 March 1987, when the MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in just 90 seconds after setting sail from Zeebrugge, Belgium, towards Dover with the bow doors still open.

A man called Andrew Parker, a 33-year-old former bank manager, placed his 6ft 3in frame in the gap between two metal barriers. His wife, Eleanor, daughter Janice, 13, and twenty other passengers crawled across his back to safety. Ever after that he was known as the “Human Bridge”. He survived and was honoured with the George Medal, though he went on to battle with depression and stress.

These powerful stories from two completely different contexts remind me of the achievements of the Lord Jesus Christ as a bridge between God and humans. Had he not fulfilled that role, there would have been no hope for us. The opening chapter of Genesis pictures the original situation where there is unbroken companionship between God’s side and humankind’s. Then sin intervenes and a gap opens up which becomes ever wider over the course of time. As early as Genesis chapter 4 we have the first murder (Cain on Abel) and the first recorded instance of bigamy (Lamech). Sin has twisted itself into the story of the human race and has long since become impossible to untangle. Every human being is born into this dismal heritage.

Since it is beyond humans to rise above sin, it is down to God to do something for us, if He is willing. And not only does that “something” need to be done, it needs to be seen to be done. The issue is too serious for God to work a few tweaks for us while remaining aloof. If He won’t visibly and personally intervene to bridge the divide, we can’t have any reassurance.

In fact God has been more than willing both to act and to reassure. In his letter to the Christians in Galatia, the apostle Paul makes an announcement of immense significance to all who are born “under the law”, in other words, under the blight of sin: 

“... when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). 

Jesus Christ lived in our sin-dominated environment but was not Himself tainted.

It was a huge risk. God becoming man sounded like childish superstition to some and blasphemy to others. The claim of Christianity that it actually happened is a key driver for much of the anger and contempt of Muslims in many lands against Christians today. But we steadily and lovingly maintain it because it is the only route to certainty that God is for us and not against us. He has met the knotty problem of human sin head-on, by tackling it Himself and tackling it at our level. Thank God for our glorious Living Bridge.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ, my God;

all the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to his blood.

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748