#DailyDevotion Be At Peace. Jesus Has Overcome The World
John 16: 29“Yes, now You’re talking in plain words,” His disciples said, “and using no veiled speech. 30Now we know You know everything and don’t need to have anyone ask You anything. That’s why we believe You’ve come from God.”31“Now you believe,” Jesus answered them. 32“The hour is coming, in fact, it’s here now, when you’ll be scattered, everyone to his home, and you’ll leave Me alone. But I’m not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33I told you this so you will have peace in Me. In the world you have trouble. But have courage; I have conquered the world.”
I really wonder about these verses sometimes. Do the disciples really think Jesus is talking plainly here? It just seems to me by what follows they may not understand as much as they say they do. Now they may comprehend, or maybe they are speaking by the Holy Spirit, Jesus knows everything and don’t need to have anyone ask him anything. It is a confession of Jesus’ omniscience that he shares with the Father being one with him. They say, “That’s why we believe you’ve come from God.” Knowing everything would be an indicator you are from God as a opposed to thinking you know everything and thinking you are God as we do sometimes.
However, Jesus knows their hearts and the strength of their current faith. The words, “Now you believe…” express a bit of incredulity of Jesus towards his disciples words and in fact his words that follow seem to confirm that. Jesus seems to mix some future things here. He speaks of his disciples scattering to their homes and leaving Jesus. This of course happens latter that evening when Jesus is arrested. Jesus here is letting them know he knows this. When they latter gather themselves they will remember he said this and be comforting knowing Jesus didn’t reject them even though he knew they would abandon him.
Even though they would abandon Jesus at the hour of his greatest need, Jesus knew the Father was always with him. The Father may be carrying the knife and getting ready to plunge it into Jesus’ heart as Abraham was about to do that to Isaac at the command of God, but Jesus knew it was the Father’s plan to save the world. While the Father may forsake Jesus on the cross because he bears the sin of the world, the Father never leaves Jesus. They are one.
Jesus tells his disciples this so they may have peace. Jesus is beginning to speak past his suffering, death and resurrection and moving on to the life of the Church after his ascension to the right hand of God. Jesus forgave his disciples weaknesses and will receive them again to himself after the resurrection. His death and resurrection is the conquering of the world. The world here is the devil and his whole system of doing things. It began in the garden or just before in his rebellion against his creator. It continues with the tower of Babel. It is presented to Jesus as a choice when he shows Jesus all the kingdoms of this world and offers them to him and Jesus rejects it.
Jesus’ overcoming the world is our overcoming the world. We have to live in this world. We don’t have to live like this world. Jesus offers us another choice in the sermon on the mount and on the plain. It is the way of his love. Putting our trust in Jesus enables us to overcome this world and to live at peace knowing he has overcome it already for us and its time is short.
Merciful God and Father, grant us true faith in Jesus so we may live in his peace and not let the world trouble our hearts as we wait to see his kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.