#DailyDevotion Jesus Has Overcome The World.
Joh 16:28-33 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (29) His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! (30) Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” (31) Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? (32) Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. (33) I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
This part of the gospel lesson is preparing us for Ascension Thursday coming up, you guessed right, this coming Thursday. I hope there is a service you can attend for this important Holy Day. Jesus tells his disciples, quite plainly that he is leaving the world and going back to the Father. The funny thing, while Jesus is not speaking to them in a parable, and while they acknowledge Jesus is speaking plainly to them, Jesus clearly sees they do not understand what he is talking about. They probably think Jesus is going back to the Father, before his death and resurrection, is a spectacular way, to show the world who he is.
Jesus in his usual blunt fashion tells them they don’t understand anything and most certainly do not believe what he is telling them. Jesus tells them they are all about to abandon him as indeed they do later as he is arrested, tried, crucified and buried. Peter will even deny knowing him with swearing and cursing. Yet Jesus is trying to prepare them for this. He lets them know he will not be alone. The Father will be with him throughout his whole ordeal, offering up Jesus as a sacrifice for the sin of the world.
Jesus lets them know what is coming up so they may have peace with this happens. It will not be until Pentecost that they realize fully this peace. Indeed, we don’t have this peace either until we receive the Holy Spirit also. It is a peace though in the midst of tribulation. The peace we have in Jesus is not to be without worldly cares. We may even face torture or death because of our confession that Jesus came from God and is the Lord of the Old and New Testaments. The peace we have and the apostles had and have is God has reconciled the world, us, to himself, not counting our trespasses against us. It’s a peace knowing we will escape the judgment of eternal death. This peace calms our conscience when the devil tries to stir it up with true and false accusations about us because those sins have been atoned for by Jesus.
We, like the disciples, can take heart. Jesus has overcome the world. This is not so much that Jesus is coming to conquer the world with the sword but rather he did love his life in the world but was willing to sacrifice it for you. He did not give into the temptations of the world and the flesh but submitted himself to the will of the Father. This he did, not so much for an example (though it was an example for u) but for us, because as long as we are in the flesh, our flesh will still cause us to sin. His overcoming the world and temptation comforts and strengthens us knowing it was done for us. It also gives us strength when we are tempted by the world to not give into the temptations of the world.
Heavenly Father, as Jesus has overcome the world and returned to you, grant us the courage and strength we need to be at peace in the midst of tribulations and temptations, that we remain faithful to the confession that Jesus is Lord till you call us home to yourself. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.