…and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. (John 5:38 ESV)

The COVID-19 vaccine is a polarizing issue today because many companies are now mandating it as a condition of employment. There are rumors and fears spreading about people in power wanting to take away our rights and freedoms, that they want complete control. Protestors exclaim that it’s tyranny while advocates say it’s necessary to protect everyone’s health. It’s crazy how this topic amongst many others has divided families, colleagues, and churches.

If we take a step back to look at the bigger picture, what we will see is confusion and people not knowing what to believe these days. This is where we must redirect them (and ourselves) back to God’s word. Jesus said that he is “the way and the truth, and the life” and that whoever believes in him will “have eternal life.”

Our eyes must remain fixed on Jesus if we want to have peace and sensibility for ourselves. It’s true that not all issues are laid out in the Bible. For example, it doesn’t say “take the vaccine” or “don’t take the vaccine.”

But what it does have is history that we can learn from. When Moses lifted up the serpent on the stick while Israel was in the wilderness, the people who kept their eyes on it did not die from the serpents that bit them (Numbers 21:9). Jesus cited that history by saying, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

If we truly believed what Jesus said, then there is no reason for us to live in fear of being vaccinated or not being vaccinated. Whatever we choose to do in faith will be under the control of Jesus. He is the author of our lives and has the ability to heal and restore. And so we must continue to place our trust in him.

Additionally, our lives are not our own anyway. Jesus said that people who try to save their lives will lose it, and those who lay down their lives for his sake will find it (Matthew 16:25). So why live in a state of paranoia thinking that we will one day be oppressed? If that is our mindset today, then the devil has succeeded in stifling our hope and faith in God by broadcasting a bunch of crazy distractions.

The Bible is the word of God, and we need to read it, study it, and apply it because it helps us understand the reason why this world is broken, and it equips us with the Lord’s wisdom on how to live in it. Lay down your life for Jesus’ sake and you will find it.