We have decided to follow Jesus and yet our life has been turned upside down. Now what? Here is a path-breaking answer from a divine service by the Chief Apostle.
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Photo: Mike Karcher
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Photo: Mike Karcher
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Photo: Mike Karcher
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Photo: Mike Karcher
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Photo: Mike Karcher
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Photo: Mike Karcher
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Photo: Mike Karcher
“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14: 5–6). This was the Bible text the Chief Apostle used during the livestream from Strasbourg in France on 26 April 2020.
Following the path unperturbed
“I am the way” means: we have to follow His example, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider said, recalling the suffering of Jesus: hunger in the desert, the injustice of being innocently condemned to death, and the feeling on the cross of having been forsaken by God.
“These days we suffer from a kind of spiritual hunger. We cannot come together to celebrate divine services; we cannot celebrate Holy Communion,” he said and drew some parallels. “Talking about unfair treatment I especially think of Africa. Why is it always the same people who have to suffer from hunger, from war, and from disease?”
Jesus wants to bring people out of misery: “Follow My example. If you remain firm and steadfast in faith, love, and trust you will enter My kingdom.” And, he said: “Love your neighbour as I loved My neighbour. Help him. Give him what he needs as far as you are able.”
Trust in the truth with all your heart
“I am the truth” means: Jesus’ words are eternally valid. “This is not always easy to believe,” the Chief Apostle said, citing a few examples. Jesus told His disciples that His Father will never leave Him. Yet Jesus was arrested, tortured, and executed without the heavenly Father intervening.
Jesus promised His Apostles to be with them always until the end of the world. “And now the Apostles are not even able to dispense the sacraments. Where is Jesus?”
“Trust the Lord with your whole heart and do not rely on your understanding,” the Chief Apostle said, citing Proverbs 3: 5: “All our understanding does is ask questions, and we are not able to find even the beginning of an answer. Think about Jesus,” he said. “Think about all the things He has done, is doing, and will still do for you. Trust in Him: His word is and will remain true.”
Embracing the life already today
“I am the life” means: Jesus is the living Lord who conquered death. Those who believe in Him will be granted true life by Him, a life of eternal fellowship with God. “He is also our ‘life insurance’,” the Chief Apostle continued, referring to the parable of the man who built his house on the rock. Those who put the words of Jesus into practice can be sure that no disaster will befall them.
“That’s today’s message for us in this difficult situation, in which we cannot understand everything,” he said in conclusion. “Let us follow the path of Jesus. Let us follow His example, remain steadfast in faith, and love and trust in Him no matter what happens. Let us trust in His truth! Then He will give us the life in His kingdom. He will also help us to experience this life already now because we have the certainty: God is with me.”