George Herbert, a British poet and orator once remarked: “He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven.” Luke 14:28-30 reminds us: “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”
"A bridge too far" is an idiom for an ambitious plan that is considered too demanding to succeed. It infers an action that retains a measure of overreaching, or going beyond what is practical or achievable. The phrase comes from a failed World War II military operation called ”Operation Market Garden,” where the Allies tried to capture a bridge that proved too difficult to hold.
The phrase, "A bridge too far" can be correlated to the Almighty by interpreting it as a metaphor for the abyss between humanity and God, which a person's own efforts is unable to bridge. In Christianity, Jesus is seen as the bridge connecting mankind to God, vanquishing the "chasm" of sin through His sacrifice. In Islamic belief, the "Pul-e-Siraat" is a bridge, or a very narrow bridge, that the righteous cross to enter paradise after death.
For some, in atypical circumstances, forgiveness may be considered “a bridge too far.” This is because not everyone has the compassion or capacity to absolve, or the offenses are not considered pardonable through their gravity. In specific situations, withholding exoneration is a valid act of self-protection. The concept of purgation is complex and highly personal; while it offers benefits for many, for some, it is not considered a destination that everyone must reach.
However, to withhold forgiveness implies that a person refuses, or is unwilling to release someone for a past deed, often out of feelings of hurt, degradation, a feeling of power, or because of personal pride or bitterness. This refusal to forgive doesn't excuse the original offense, but can lead to a cycle of emotional imprisonment for the person holding onto the grudge, as they may remain burdened by guilt, animosity and resentment. The Bible teaches that forgiveness is a central tenet, both for forgiving others and receiving God's forgiveness. Key teachings include the instruction to forgive as God has forgiven us, the Lord's Prayer, and Jesus' command to forgive seventy times seven times, emphasizing that forgiving others is necessary to receive forgiveness from God.
In Christianity, Jesus is often considered the ultimate "image of forgiveness" due to his teachings and actions. Stories about forgiveness are a central theme in the Bible, demonstrating the importance of mercy and reconciliation. Prominent biblical stories about forgiveness include Jesus' parable of the Unforgiving Servant, where a king forgives a huge debt but the servant refuses to forgive a smaller one, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son, about a father who joyfully forgives his wayward son. Other examples are Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery and praying for his crucifiers, and Joseph forgiving his brothers. Jesus’s final words on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing," are a key example of this, as he chose to forgive those crucifying him even in the midst of His suffering.
On occasions, if it is not the will of God, His omnipotence may intervene. A bridge too far is a man-made bridge with man-made limitations along with hindrances from the natural world. To avoid collapse, they need to be built on firm foundations. Found in the book of Genesis, the story of the Tower of Babel describes a united human race speaking a single language. Seeking to make a name for themselves and prevent being scattered across the earth, the people decided to build a city and a tower "with its top in the heavens.” God saw their collective ambition and was concerned that with a single language, "nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them".
To prevent this, God intervened by confusing their languages so they could no longer understand one another. Unable to communicate, the builders stopped work on the tower and were scattered across the earth. Genesis 11:1-9 reminds us: “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.
And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”
In many traditions, such as Christianity, the bridge to God requires an act of faith to cross. One source explains that for some believers, "the only thing we really need to do is have faith that God knows what He is doing and be obedient to Him" to cross the bridge. It is not a limitless pass but a path predicated on trust. Some mythical bridges are specifically for the final journey between the world of the living and the dead. In Zoroastrianism, for example, the Chinvat Bridge is a "sifting bridge" that all souls must cross after death, and its width is determined by the righteousness of the soul. It is not an endless passage for travel but a singular path of judgment.
Forgiveness can create freedom by releasing one from negative emotions like anger and resentment, freeing one from being controlled by a past hurt, and allowing one to move forward with a sense of peace and inner healing. It is a personal choice to let go of the burden of grudges, which is not about forgetting or excusing the harm, but about reclaiming ones own power and emotional well-being. Thomas Szasz, an American psychologist once remarked: “The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.” Psalm 103:10-14 reminds us: “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”
Jesus offered extensive guidance on forgiveness throughout his ministry. Putting Jesus' teachings into practice is important because it provides a foundation for a strong life, helps one to love and serve others, and is believed to lead to a closer relationship with God and eternal life. Matthew 7:24-27 uses the parable of two builders to show the importance of putting Jesus's teachings into practice. The wise builder who hears and obeys Jesus's words is like someone who builds a house on a rock, which stands firm against storms. The foolish builder who hears but does not act is like someone who builds on sand, and their house collapses when the storm hits. The meaning is that one's life and eternal destiny depend on the foundation of obedience to Christ's teachings. The passage reminds us: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Amen.
