House of God, Gate of Heaven - Genesis 28:10-17

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The House of God, the Gate of Heaven

There is a saying, “Home is where the heart is” – Which might mean home is that place my heart is most set on. Others may say, “Home is wherever my family is.”

Jacob, in our Old Testament reading today, was fleeing from home. Home was where danger was.

Jacob was not, in big ways, a great guy. His ways fit his name. When Jacob was born, he came out of the womb grasping the heal of his older, firstborn twin, Esau. So, he was named “Jacob”, which means, “He takes by the heal”, or, in other words, “He cheats.”

And cheat Jacob did. Jacob cheated Esau out of his firstborn-birthright. He cheated Esau of their father’s blessing, acquiring the first-born blessing for himself.

God actually used these events to carry out His will – which would’ve inevitably been done. Jacob, however, was acting according to his nature, with no thought of God nor his brother’s best interest. Jacob cheats. And Jacob is now fleeing for his life away from an angry Esau who was overheard plotting to kill him.

            That’s the background. Now here’s the first part of today’s reading, in which Jacob does finally encounter the Lord:

I.

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! [Genesis 28:10-12]

Sleeping, his head on a rock, and Jacob dreams. He sees a ladder – or, the Hebrew could mean a ‘staircase’. Either way, Jacob sees this ladder which is set up on the earth and reaches heaven. Angels of God are going up and down on it, between heaven and earth.

Next, Jacob encounters the Lord: “And behold, the Lord stood above it – or, in the Hebrew, that can mean that the Lord stood ‘next to him’, next to Jacob. It’s ambiguous, it can mean either thing. When Scripture does that, we often can probably assume that it means both things. The Lord of heaven, who is atop this ladder, is also standing next to Jacob, speaking to him on the ground.

And the Lord says to Jacob, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring…” – your offspring will multiply and spread; the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring – And, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Jacob, on this journey, was doing an entirely different thing – his own thing – with no thought of the Lord or the Lord’s plans. But the Lord was thinking of Jacob. Jacob did not know it or think of it, but the Lord was with him on that journey, doing His will and fulfilling His promises to Jacob.  

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it”, Jacob says when he wakes from sleep. “And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’” Jacob then set up a stone in that place as a memorial, because that is the place where the Lord came to him, the place where heaven and earth met together.

II.

What is our ladder, our staircase, bridging, for our sake, earth to heaven and heaven to earth? In this evening’s Gospel, Jesus says to Nathaniel that this ladder is He Himself, Jesus: “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]

Jesus on the cross is that ladder set up on earth, reaching to heaven. His enemies, who nailed Jesus to the cross and set it up on earth, were doing an entirely different thing. But Jesus, the Lord, was doing His will, fulfilling His promises to you, by giving His life for your salvation. He was thinking of you.

Jesus was crucified on earth but was offering Himself as the one perfect final offering in heaven: “He entered once for all into the holy places… by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” [Hebrews 9:12]. “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all”, and “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [1 Timothy 2:4-6]

Jesus is the one who is in heaven at His Father’s side, yet is with you always at your side – everywhere you go – who has united us fallen sinners back to heaven. He is that ladder.

III.

Jesus accomplished this on the cross 2,000 years ago. He brings this all into your life through the means which He has set up on earth for you today. Jesus remains your ladder through what we call His ‘Means of Grace’ – the means, or ways, through which He brings heaven’s grace down to you – Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Word of God.

Baptism, by water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is baptism into the body of Christ – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” [Galatians 3:27]. The Lord’s Supper is the body and blood of Christ [Matthew 26:26-28].

And the Word of God – the Word breathed out by God [2 Timothy 3:16] and spoken in the Scriptures – is Jesus Himself: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” [John 1:1,14]

The Word of God in your ears at Church – the Word of God in front of your eyes at home, in your Bible, or in your daily Portals of Prayer reading – and the Word of God remaining in your heart, believed. [Romans 10:8-9]

Rejoice, be glad, and be positive – “How awesome is this place!” Jesus is still set up on earth in your Baptism, in the Supper, and in the Word of God.

Wherever His Word is, there is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven.

 So have your heart set on this home, your church. Value this house as the very House of God and Gate of Heaven – because Jesus is set up for you here as your ladder down from heaven.

And make your home a house of God and gate of heaven by valuing and spending your time in His Word and prayer. Amen.