Staggering

The other day I was in a small room called the kids room or ‘pigsty’ and I was talking with some friends about Jesus. I think we were all struggling with the fact that people often talk about Jesus as if he is the only way to God and that if you don’t believe in Jesus you are condemned to hell.  

Jesus is in the way of God. As in, you must go through Jesus to get to God. 

As we talked we arrived at this metaphor, which I though was useful.  

Basically imagine you’re on a mountain, trying to reach the top. Scrabbling, fighting. Climbing. It’s a pretty steep mountain, but you have a mission to get to the top and your not going to give up. 

Half way up the mountain you hit a fence. I say fence, this is bigger, it’s a barrier, a blockage. You can’t go over it, so you start to follow it round. There are many people trying to convince you of their unique ways of getting past the obstacle. Tunnelling. Ladders. All sorts.  

You continue to follow and eventually come to a doorway in the gate, this is the doorway to the top, but who is guarding it…Jesus. You must pass through Jesus to get to the top. Jesus is in your way, but through him is your path. 

My view of the mountain is different. 

The top of the mountain is still the goal, and the gradient is still steep. It’s hard work. 

The mountain is free of a fence or barrier, but is full of strenuous marshlands, dangerous rocks and impossible steep cliffs as well as worn paths, good foot holds and safe grounds. 

Everywhere I look everybody is staggering on the mountain. Lots of people don’t seem to know where they are going. Some have fallen. Others are stuck. Choosing their own paths. Several seem to have abandoned any ambitions for the top and are walking the wrong way. A number seem to have found a path and are helping others up it. There are those who have their eyes so fixed on the top that they are storming ahead. Various people around me cannot see the top, or understand what they are doing, but they are making there way, nearly unaware. Many make small steps towards the top without realising it. 

We are all staggering on the mountain, making our ways up or down, sometimes stuck in the heather, sometimes sitting on a rock admiring the view from where we are, sometimes scrabbling hard to get higher, sometimes consciously walking backwards, sometimes unconscious to the fact that we are moving forward. 

And of course at the top of the mountain is Jesus…