{"id":891,"date":"2021-07-27T09:28:38","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T13:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=891"},"modified":"2021-07-27T09:28:38","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T13:28:38","slug":"the-bridge-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/27\/the-bridge-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bridge to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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(c) EMI Films<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Throughout July we\u2019re taking an in-depth look at Proverbs, the Bible\u2019s one-of-a-kind book about our never-ending need for wisdom.<\/em>

What will it be like at the moment of death when we step into the next world?

More than a few people imagine a kind of pop quiz.  If you know the right answers \u2013 if you\u2019re \u201cin\u201d on the secret password \u2013 they have to let you into heaven.  If not, eternity\u2019s going to be tough sledding.

That notion brings to mind the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail<\/em> where King Arthur and his knights approach the Bridge of Death \u2013 a rickety span that is guarded by an old man who recites the same words to everyone who approaches:  \u201cWho would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.\u201d

And if you get one of those three questions wrong?  You\u2019re hurled immediately into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

Sir Lancelot bravely goes first.  \u201cAsk me the questions, Bridgekeeper.  I am not afraid.\u201d 

\u201cWhat is your name?\u201d the old man asks.  \u201cLancelot of Camelot.\u201d  \u201cWhat is your quest?\u201d  \u201cTo seek the Holy Grail.\u201d  \u201cWhat is your favorite color?\u201d  \u201cBlue.\u201d  \u201cRight,\u201d says the Bridgekeeper, \u201coff you go.\u201d  And Lancelot crosses the bridge. 

Sir Robin, who has been listening in, is enormously relieved.  \u201cThis is easy!\u201d he says.  He rushes up to the old man, who asks, \u201cWhat is your name?\u201d \u201cSir Robin of Camelot.\u201d  \u201cWhat is your quest?\u201d  \u201cTo seek the Holy Grail.\u201d  \u201cWhat is the capital of Assyria?\u201d  Robin cries, \u201cI don\u2019t know that!\u201d  He is immediately catapulted into the abyss.

Sir Galahad comes next, noticeably anxious.  \u201cWhat is your name?\u201d \u201cSir Galahad of Camelot.\u201d  \u201cWhat is your quest?\u201d \u201cI seek the Grail.\u201d  \u201cWhat is your favorite color?\u201d  \u201cBlue \u2013 no, yellow!<\/em>\u201d  With that he, too, is hurled into the Gorge of Eternal Peril. 

The Bridgekeeper chuckles, then turns to the next person in line.  \u201cWhat is your name?\u201d \u201cIt is \u2018Arthur,\u2019 King of the Britons.\u201d  \u201cWhat is your quest?\u201d \u201cTo seek the Grail.\u201d  \u201cWhat is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?\u201d  Without hesitation Arthur replies, \u201cWhat do you mean?  An African or European swallow?\u201d  The Bridgekeeper grunts, \u201cHuh? I\u2026I don\u2019t know that!\u201d And he himself is immediately hurled into the gorge.

If crossing the Bridge to Heaven comes down to a Pass\/Fail exam, you had better be studying right now to learn the right answers.  That\u2019s the approach of countless churches.  If you know the right doctrines, hang around the right people, and embrace the right political perspectives, you can avoid the abyss.

Moving from the comedic to the tragic, how did things ever come to this?  Where did we ever get the idea that something as crucial as Real Life comes down to \u201cknowing the right answers\u201d?

Certainly not from Jesus.   

Somewhere along the line, American preachers and teachers took the spotlight off Jesus\u2019 preoccupation with marginalized people \u2013 those who are religiously excluded, morally disgraced, and materially impoverished.  Real Life comes down to love:  loving God and loving others.  Anyone who decides this summer to read through the Bible\u2019s four biographies of Jesus \u2013 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John \u2013 will come away convinced that serving those most in need of our love is at the very heart of his Good News. 

Doctrines may be important.  But they are not supremely<\/em> important.

After noting that Jesus’ own version of qualifying for Real Life involves how we treat the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor (Matthew 25:31-45), Pastor James Forbes memorably said, \u201cNobody gets into heaven without a letter of recommendation from the poor.\u201d 

There are more than 2,000 verses in the Old and New Testaments that address the subject of poverty.  But all too often Christians have chosen to quarrel with each other over the \u201cright answers\u201d concerning how much water it takes to be properly baptized and how often we should share the Lord\u2019s Supper, even though each of those topics is addressed by just a handful of verses.

What do we learn from the book of Proverbs?

Proverbs has a surprisingly nuanced \u201ctake\u201d on the subjects of poverty and wealth.  For instance:  Why are poor people poor?  Some proverbs say, \u201cIt\u2019s because they are lazy.\u201d  Other proverbs proclaim, \u201cIt\u2019s because they are victims of a corrupt system.\u201d  Advocates for both \u201csides\u201d are eager to quote their favorite verses.  But it\u2019s clear that social realities were just as complex 3,000 years ago as they are today.

Some proverbs report the brutal truth about reality.  Bribes actually work, giving the wealthy an upper hand (17:8).  Systemic injustice can sweep away the hopes of the poor (13:23).  Money can buy you friends and a degree of happiness, but it also brings a truckload of worries and troubles. 

Chapter 28 alone is a veritable goldmine showcasing diverse perspectives:  \u201cA ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.\u201d (verse 3)  \u201cBetter a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.\u201d (verse 6)  \u201cA rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.\u201d (verse 13)  \u201cHe who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.\u201d (verse 19)  \u201cHe who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.\u201d (verse 27)

So what does Proverbs say to the person who is impoverished and the person who is well off?

Significantly, both receive exactly the same counsel:  Work hard, fight against injustice, and never surrender your trust in God. 

Affluent people receive one additional command:  Be lavishly generous.  Has God blessed you with money?  Then use the favored position you’re in (which is also God\u2019s gift) to help build a better world \u2013 starting with the next needy person you see. 

\u201cWhoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.\u201d (19:17)

Memorizing that last verse may not help you pass the pop quiz of some future Bridgekeeper. 

But living it out will change your heart and change your life.  And that\u2019s the real name of the game<\/em>.   
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Throughout July we\u2019re taking an in-depth look at Proverbs, the Bible\u2019s one-of-a-kind book about our never-ending need for wisdom. What will it be like at the moment of death when we step into the next world? More than a few people imagine a kind of pop quiz.  If you know the right answers \u2013 if you\u2019re \u201cin\u201d on the secret… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[283,123,273],"class_list":["post-891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-poverty","tag-proverbs","tag-wealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=891"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":893,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891\/revisions\/893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}