Seven stumbling blocks and a guiding principle

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offence, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 9: 33). This was the Bible text Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider used during the divine service in our Dinwiddie church in Johannesburg (South Africa) on 11 October 2015. Nearly 1,500 followed the service in Dinwiddie directly, while another 27,000 throughout the District Church of South East Africa were connected by audio-visual transmission.

“This stone is Jesus Christ,” the Chief Apostle said and explained the historical context of the Bible text. “Jesus was sent by His Father in order to save Israel. But they would not accept him.” – “How could Jesus Christ ever become a stumbling block for us?” the Chief Apostle asked, and launched into an answer. “Let us take a look at a few examples.”

Stumbling blocks

“The people of Israel were disappointed at first that Jesus did not meet their expectations,” he explained. “He did not free the people from the yoke of the Romans nor did He heal everybody.” It is not any different today, he said. “Sometimes we wish that the Lord would solve all our problems. But if this help does not materialize and our life situation does not improve, we tend to be disappointed.” “But,” he continued, “His salvation consists of showing us the way to eternal life. We keep on walking.”

Some people were irritated at the time of Jesus because He insisted that He was the only way to salvation (John 14: 6). “Many people today think: God is not that tiny. He has other ideas,” the Chief Apostle said. “They take offence in the words of Jesus. But we Apostles cannot teach something other than Jesus Christ taught us. We need His word, His grace, and Holy Communion.”

“Jesus Christ was very demanding. This was a stumbling block for some,” he said and referred to the parable of the rich young man. “Under normal circumstances it is not so hard to reconcile our everyday life with our life of faith and our goal.” But sometimes God asks us to choose: “Do you want salvation or is your top priority earthly success?”

“No matter what we do—even if we were the best person on earth—there is nothing we can do that will entitle us to the kingdom of God. It is grace,” the Chief Apostle said and mentioned another stumbling block. “Sometimes we are just a little irritated when we see that someone else gets just as much as we do although he may have done less than we.” But salvation is salvation. When it comes to that there is no such thing as a little bit more or a little bit less.

“Some were irritated because Jesus refused to answer their questions.” Such as the question of His return. “For some the short answer, ‘Only believe, the Lord’s return is imminent,’ is a cause of annoyance. But we believe that Jesus Christ is the truth and we trust Him.”

Sometimes it is more important to proclaim the gospel than it is to help the poor. This is how the Chief Apostle interprets the anointment of Jesus at Bethany (Matthew 26: 6–13). This also applies to the way the Church deals with the offerings: “The first mission of the Church is to make sure that the gospel is taught and in a second step we take care of our neighbour. For some this is a stumbling block, but … we believe in the mission of the church.”

Jesus’ family background as the son of a carpenter from Nazareth or Paul’s past as a persecutor of Christians … For many people it was difficult to recognize the Son of God or His messenger. “Today the Lord has also chosen servants.” These men are not perfect. And some are irritated by this. “Please accept those whom God has sent—despite our failings and weaknesses.”

The guiding principle

“There are many things in life that could be a stumbling block for us.” But our faith keeps us from stumbling and falling over them. We believe

• in eternal life.
• that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.
• that He does not demand too much of us.
• in His grace.
• in the word and promise of Jesus.
• in the mission of the church.
• in the sending of His servants.

“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame,” the Chief Apostle said in conclusion, quoting the Bible text once more. “This is a divine promise and every one of us can experience it.”