West Pines Community Church

Think about the idiom “climb the ladder.” We use it in a couple different spheres of life: “climb the corporate ladder,” or “climb the social ladder,” or just “climb the ladder of success.” In our culture we intend to desire a general upward trajectory. We even use the phrase “upwardly mobile,” to communicate someone improving their general situation economically or socially. It is interesting that it is so instinctual for our society to see the “up” direction as superior. We say I want to be “over” more responsibility, “above” people on the chain of command, and have a “higher” position of responsibility. Upward seems like the natural trajectory. But how does that square with the trajectory of Jesus? What if with Jesus everything changes? When you have Jesus everything is turned upside down.