Going Back To School

Jesus told all His followers that He came from
heaven. Many didn't believe Him and even
stopped following Him. Jesus asked the Apostles, "Are you going to leave me, too?" "Where would
we go?" Peter answered. "We know that
you came from God."

A lot of kids feel like they have a lot to worry about at this time of year. It's back-to-school time, which means finishing work you were supposed to do over the summer, getting school supplies, starting sports practices and wondering what the year will bring.

If a new school year gets you feeling overwhelmed, imagine how much Jesus must have worried in His life on earth! He had a limited amount of time to help everyone He could to get close to God, so they'd keep carrying that message when He went back to heaven.

In this week's Gospel (John 6:60-69), we get a peek at Jesus' worries.

When you're stressing over school starting, a lot of people will say, "Don't worry about it." That can seem kind of dumb, since you're already worried! But what they're really saying is, "It's all going to work out. It will all be okay. I'm here for you."

In the Gospel story, Jesus wasn't convincing everyone that He was really from heaven. He was even losing some followers. 

With all that stress, Jesus worried that even His closest friends would desert Him. He asked them, "Are you going to leave, too?"

Just like the people who care about you reassure you as school-time creeps closer, the Apostles reassured Jesus. 

"Where would we go?" they said - meaning, "We're not going anywhere. We know you came from God, and we're going to stand by you."

School isn't so scary when people stand by you, too.

(08/20/09)