Members of Jacob’s Ladder: The Great Commission Fulfilled

The plight of the orphans in London and the brethren’s need for prayer and faith stirred George Müller’s heart. So, in 1835 he set out to start an orphanage, both to care for the helpless and to encourage other Christians to rely deeply on God. During his remarkable career, he cared for 10,024 orphans and educated over 120,000 children.[i] His life is a remarkable testament to the power of one surrendered to God and reliant upon Him. However, he did not accomplish all this work alone. At first, his wife and a few friends joined his endeavor. And the ministry quickly grew until he employed over 600 staff near the end of his life.[ii] Just as these people joined with George Müller to bless the orphans of London and encourage fellow believers, so when we are united to Christ, we join with Him in bringing the blessings of heaven to the world.

The Ladder and the Seed

It is to this union that Jesus referred when He told Nathanael, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (John 1:51, NASB). This statement hearkened back to Jacob’s dream nearly 2000 years before. Jacob had cheated his brother who then determined to murder him, so Jacob fled to some relatives in Padanaram. On the way he stopped to rest, and while he slept, a dream came to him. There he saw a ladder stretching from earth to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. God stood at the top, and He declared, “Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14).

We see from Jesus’ statement to Nathanael that He is the fulfillment of Jacob’s ladder. And Jesus is also Jacob’s seed. As discussed in a previous blog post, this promise was first given to Abraham, and Paul pointed out, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” There is only one seed of Abraham, and that single seed is Jesus. But then Paul shares an exquisite insight, “If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:16, 29, NASB). Believers become part of Jesus, the one seed of Abraham, members of His flesh and of His bones.

Members of the Ladder

This same promise to Abraham, God reiterated to Isaac, and then to Jacob in the dream. Therefore, both Jacob’s ladder and the seed represent Jesus. The ladder is just a visual depiction of the seed. We sing the old spiritual, “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder.” But we are not climbing Jacob’s ladder. The angels are climbing Jacob’s ladder. If we are members of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then we are part of Jacob’s ladder, the avenue through which the blessings of heaven come to the world. Just as Jesus the seed is like the sand by the seashore, the dust of the earth, and the stars of the heavens – one seed composed of many parts – so Jesus the ladder is one, yet somehow many.

You Will See the Angels Ascending and Descending

Jesus told Nathanael that he would see the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. This “seeing” was not in the sense of observing with one’s eyes, but in the sense of personal involvement. Jesus described this experience when, pouring out His heart in prayer, He requested, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me” (John 17:24, NASB). He was not requesting for them to just observe His glory with their eyes. Rather, He prayed, “The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me” (John 17:22-23, NASB). They will see His glory in that they come to share in that glory. Likewise, Nathanael would see the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man because he would one day be part of the Son of Man, a member of His body, a component of the avenue through which God sends His blessings to the world.

This ladder is a fitting depiction of the plan of salvation. Jesus gave His teachings to His disciples, thus uniting them to “The Word.” They in turn gave those teachings to other people, who in turn gave them to still others, further expanding this entity in whom the word dwells. Down through the ages, person after person, rung after rung, this great ladder has extended Jesus “The Word” all the way to us. And as we join this ladder, we too extend Him to others.

The Ladder and the Great Commission

Just before He ascended, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission, a charge that would ensure this ladder extends to bless all the earth. Jesus stated the command in three ways. First, He told them, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19, NASB). In bible times, disciples were people who accompanied a certain rabbi, observing him, learning from him, and practicing his teachings. It was an apprenticeship of sorts, somewhat akin to a medical student completing a fellowship, learning the methods of a renowned doctor. So to make disciples means we are to share Jesus’s teachings with people and help them apply those teachings in their lives.

Jesus continued, “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NASB). To baptize a person in this name does not consist of uttering the name over someone during a baptism ceremony. While water baptism is a useful symbol, here the name stands for the person of God Himself. We are to baptize people in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When one is immersed in God, abiding in Him, he becomes a living sacrifice. God consumes his old way of life, destroying his former character, and in the process instills in him a new character through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a resurrection to a new way of life.

When the Holy Spirit dwells in us through this process of baptism, He makes us an extension of Christ, members of His body. Jesus promised one of the churches in Revelation, “The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore” (Revelation 3:12, NASB). But John saw the New Jerusalem at the time these believers will be enjoying the rewards of their faithfulness, and he declared, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22, NASB). If we are faithful, God will ratify us as pillars in the temple of Himself. We will forever be immersed in God as a member of His body.

Jesus concluded the Great Commission, “Teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, NASB). The heart of our message to the world should be that people should follow what Jesus taught. John the Baptist’s message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus’ message was also, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And this is our message too. Repentance is an ongoing attitude where we seek out God’s will and align with it.

So the Great Commission contains three ways of saying, “Help people follow My teachings.” As we fulfill this commission, we participate as members of Jacob’s ladder. Let’s encourage one another to continue sharing Jesus’ teachings to those around us, finding ways to support them as they internalize that word. When we do so, we share with Jesus in this ministry, being the channel through which God floods the world with blessings.