Getting to know Jesus

“who is jesus?” this is the question that runs through our divine services in april. every key stage of the passiontide offers an answer—right up to easter and beyond. “i am the bread of life,” jesus says. this becomes tangible in holy communion, which jesus instituted shortly before his crucifixion. “this is my body,” jesus says about the bread that is broken. the body and blood of christ are truly present in the bread and wine, and thus also his sacrifice. this makes the lord’s supper itself the bread of life. what this means for believers today is the subject of the first sunday service in april. the three-fold ministry. “this is jesus, the prophet from nazareth of galilee.” this is how the people lining the road as jesus entered jerusalem answered the question from those in their own ranks, “who is this?”. but that is only one third of the truth. he is king, priest, and prophet. he is the king of the kingdom of god. he is the priest who offers himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. and he is a prophet because he foretells the will of god and future events. the palm sunday service will take a closer look at this. the saviour in humility. “save yourself! if you are the son of god, come down from the cross.” this is how the onlookers mocked jesus at his crucifixion. for them, it was simply inconceivable that the supposedly divine saviour of the israelites should be humiliated and killed in such a way. but this is precisely where christ’s being the son of god is demonstrated: he voluntarily humbled himself, and endured pain, derision, and malice in order to obtain salvation for humankind. this poses a question for believers today. this is what will be explored in the divine service on good friday. the path and the goal. jesus christ is the risen one. this is the central message of easter. through the resurrection of jesus christ, god confirmed the truth of his teaching: god is merciful, full of love, and grants forgiveness. jesus embodied this merciful love of god. the resurrection shows that the goal of faith is eternal fellowship with god. and through the resurrection of jesus, it becomes clear that jesus himself is the way that leads to this salvation. this poses a challenge for the faithful today. this is what easter sunday will be all about. the one who is all-powerful. in the gospels, jesus calls himself the son of man several times. this emphasises his humanity, but it also refers to his divine nature and mission: “all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (matthew 28: 18). christ has the power of love, resurrection, forgiveness, and completion. the divine service on the last sunday in april will explain what all is behind this. photo: artpluskr – stock.adobe.com.