But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)
In Old Testament times, people did not approach God directly. A priest acted as an intermediary between God and sinful human beings. Under the Old Covenant, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place once per year to communicate with God.
With Christ’s victory on the cross, that pattern changed. Jesus’ sacrifice established a New Covenant with believers. One that graces us with the authority to communicate with God directly and enter into His presence, as God’s very own possessions—as His royal priests.
When we read The Gospels of the New Testament, we are immersed in a time when Jesus walked the earth among men. A time when He came to make the change…
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God saved us from this world that we twisted into our own, and in doing so, blessed us with the authority to communicate with Him directly—God sent Jesus to build the bridge.
Now because of this bridge, through our born-again spirits, Christians have the power and authority to accomplish the same miraculous victories that Jesus did and communicate with God through the power of prayer.
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain, and the earth began to yield its crops. (James 5:16-18)
By “righteous person,” James isn’t talking about sinless people, but rather those who can effectively pray for others because they have confessed their own sins and are in right relationship with God. And as Peter taught above in (1 Peter 2:9) we know that in God’s kingdom, every believer is a priest to other believers.
I recently started a new construction season. And I thank God that this new season has brought me right back to my past.
I started my construction career in the early 90s building docks in South Florida, and then shortly later I moved to Atlanta, where I specialized in building decks; basically the same construction, just a little lighter duty and over land instead of water.
Likewise, my new season is basically the same as my past… the same type of construction, only now I use a 24oz Estwing steel handle hammer instead of a 28oz I used back in the day—a little lighter duty. The nail heads just don’t seem to look as big anymore, and every ounce will be noticed at the end of the day, or when an old guy’s thumb gets in the way.
I would have never thought, but today my building season is played on a miniature golf course site, and I couldn’t be more honored to have been invited to the game. And I thank God and Dave Bailey for giving me the opportunity to play.
I never gave it much thought, but it turns out miniature golf courses need the talents of a carpenter. And although I’m getting a little long in the tooth, I’m blessed to still have some gas in the tank.
Every mini course will have some sort of buildings. Whether it’s a building for checking out your putter, customer bathrooms, drink bars, ice cream parlors, game rooms, or pavilions. And all these structures will require the skills of a carpenter to be built.
However, there is one structure that stands above all the rest. The Bridge: The one-off dock on pilings, a heavy wooden walking bridge, that sits atop the cave, crossing the lagoon at the base of the waterfall.
The pinnacle of the course is the elevated waterfall that unleashes thousands of gallons of water, which fills the lagoon and then cascades over the openings of the cave below. It’s the main focal point on the site and is at the very heart of the day’s entertainment and enjoyment on the course. A well-constructed bridge to traverse this spectacular attraction is critical to the course’s design, function, and beauty. And boy, is it fun to build a bridge.
Jesus was a carpenter early in His earthly life, and I’m sure He found great pleasure in building strong, beautiful things. Yes, Jesus had skills, and He carried with Him the most important set of building plans ever designed. His construction wouldn’t be measured by the ounces of His hammer but rather by the pounds of His flesh and blood.
With perfect timing and infinite wisdom, God commissioned His plans for construction and sent Jesus on His way. At Calvary’s Cross, Jesus completed the plan. “It is finished.”
Nobody had ever been entrusted to build a bridge from this world to God and Heaven before, and most of this world still doesn’t believe that Jesus pulled it off.
Have you ever wondered, “If a tree falls in the forest and nobody’s around to hear it, did it make a sound?” If you weren’t there to hear it, how would you know?
How would the Creator of this plan market His bridge? How would God make sure everybody knew that it was built, and even more importantly, how could they know that this bridge was built specifically for them?… A bridge that was built for His very own children, so that we could enter as royal priests into His presence. What was detailed on His blueprints? What was His plan?
Every good set of construction plans has an incredible amount of detail on every single page. And any good builder will tell you that, to build something right, you need to study the plans and every one of those details.
Can you imagine what God’s building plans were like? Details? He’s the master creator of details. He designed the eyes in our heads and the brain in our skulls—His details are evident in every molecule of life and every breath that you take.
When I get to Heaven and Jesus and I are shooting the breeze about carpentry and the beautiful things that we built back in the day, I’m going to ask to see God’s plans. And it’s my belief that when He whips out those plans, I will find along with the details a stamp on every single page that reads,*See The Bible. The Bible was at the heart of God’s plan from the very beginning, so it must be referenced over and over again in His blueprints.
The Bible is all about Jesus from the very beginning to its end, and when we study the pages of The New Testament Gospels, we find Jesus at work marketing God’s plan. What’s going to work? How will they learn? What’s going to stick?… How can He possibly get His point across to a bunch of knuckleheads who aren’t even certain the earth’s round?
Hallelujah—Jesus came to play, and He plays to win. He’s not going to simply get His point across…He’s going to present God’s spiritual truths in such a way that they will stick in our souls like gum to your shoe.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
In a book, when a character uses a metaphor, you get a sense of their worldview. In the Bible, Jesus used metaphors to help people understand His point without long and tedious explanations. Jesus deliberately chose His words to convey profound spiritual truths that enable us to understand the nature of God, His truths, and all that He created.
Jesus often used metaphors to explain His role or mission, such as (John 6:35), where He says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus’ use of common day experiences like farming, shepherding, eating and drinking, building and laboring, were especially powerful. Listeners recognize these everyday elements and could easily connect the imagery to spiritual realities, even if the fullest meaning required prayerful thought.
Jesus was also able to make complex concepts more accessible to our minds by using parables, short stories to illustrate moral or spiritual lessons. For example, the Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches about compassion and loving one’s neighbor, regardless of social or ethnic differences.
Jesus’ distinctive use of parables and metaphors was intentional, demonstrating that spiritual truth surpasses mere intellectual philosophy. As you turn the pages of the Gospels, you come to find that every word Jesus used was true to God’s word—they were the same. “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)
Jesus—God as man—was the master of all things, and maybe none better than getting His point across. His teachings lead us closer to Him every day.
Jesus’ metaphors and short parables often pop in my mind and help keep me focused on Him as I’m navigating my way through this world. I use metaphors and analogies daily because of what Jesus taught, and none are wired in my soul more than those about a builder, one that builds off a solid foundation. One that builds bridges for others to walk into Heaven.
Building on the foundation of Jesus Christ is as fundamental to me as loving my wife. For me and my family, the Bible and its words filled with Jesus’ wisdom and truth is the path to the bridge. And for me particularly, metaphors and parables about building, carpentry, and bridges, become some of the most reassuring and inspirational lights on this path. Thank you, Jesus!
A bridge was built, one that most of the world will never see. That’s no fault of the builder; God designed a plan and a blueprint from the very beginning so all could see. The blueprint is filled with Jesus’ spiritual directions and truths that enable the righteous to discover how to receive the authority to communicate with God and effectively pray for others as New Covenant priests. You may not be a builder or a carpenter, but once you understand the truths in the Bible you will discover that the details in God’s plan, list you as a bridge builder too. Read the Bible and become the bridge builder you were designed to be.
“I tell you the Truth”
Read The Bible
An inspiring carpentry parable not found in the Bible.
Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side-by-side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed, without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding, and it grew into a major difference, and finally, it exploded into an exchange of bitter words, followed by weeks of silence.
One morning, there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days’ work,” he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?” “Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor. In fact, it’s my younger brother!
Last week, there was a meadow between us. He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee, and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll do him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence—an 8-foot fence—so I won’t need to see his place, or his face, anymore.”
The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger, and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.” The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready, and then he was off for the day.
The carpenter worked hard all that day—measuring, sawing, and nailing. About sunset, when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide; his jaw dropped.
There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge… a bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, with handrails and all! And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched… “You are quite a fellow to build this bridge, after all I’ve said and done.”
The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have many other projects for you,” said the older brother. “I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but I have many more bridges to build.”
— Author Unknown
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