The conqueror of the world
This week is on John 16:29-33:
In these verses, Jesus is talking with his disciples before his betrayal, crucifixion, and earth-shaking triumphal return. I wish we had a better word than "disciples." Do we use "disciple" for anything now that isn't religious? Seeing unusual words probably makes it seem distant and less intimate than it probably was. And yet it was a real moment.
Jesus is explaining to his posse, his peeps, his tribe of friends and admirers, his devoted followers, however you want to call it, that he is going to unlock a whole new reality for them, but in the process he'll disappear. Read the whole chapter for the juicy details, but know that it's pretty awesome and culminates in these verses.
We live in a world of trouble and suffering. Beautiful, cherished people die tragic deaths. Soulmates and business partners betray us. There are horrible sicknesses you can't even imagine without reading the Internet. Things break. People starve. Nothing we do can keep it from happening. Our lives will never be perfect. Despite all that Jesus did for his disciples, his beloved inner circle, their devotion to him was imperfect, and there was no "happily ever after" in store for them on Earth.
Not long after Jesus had this conversation with them, he was betrayed by one of his star pupils, a constant companion. An armed mob came and found him in the wilderness and he was barely able to keep it from turning into a vicious street fight. He was arrested on trumped up charges, dragged through a corrupt legal system, and then his own community turned on him. He was beaten and tortured beyond recognition, publicly humiliated, dragged through the streets, and then essentially tortured to death in a public execution of the kind ISIS would carry out. His own mother had to watch. The world is full of trouble and suffering.
Jesus knew what was coming but his disciples didn't. He tried warning them over and over that this was serious, but they mouthed empty religious words. "We believe in you." "We'll follow you anywhere." You can almost hear Jesus' frustration when he asks "Do you now believe?" ("Do you really?") He predicts exactly what they're going to do. The moment things get rough, they will all go back to where they came from. They run home to momma. Back to their day job. Back to their homeland and their people. It all falls apart.
The full truth is in the last bit though: "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world." In Jesus, whose suffering opened the door for us to talk directly to God like he is one of us, we can have peace. He has conquered the world. Who else in history has done that? That's a seriously powerful ally.
After everything fell apart, Jesus returned from death victorious. He hunted down every last one of his disciples, not in revenge like in the movies, but to restore them in love and build his church. In our verses he tells them to take courage, and here he makes them brave. He conquered the world and took every single thing that happened and turned it to his advantage and ours. Death? Who cares, I'm back. Betrayal? Who cares, the gang is back together. Eternal damnation? Not anymore, not on my watch.
All the trouble and suffering the world was capable of throwing at Jesus got turned to good. His church continues to this day. He introduced us to the Holy Spirit. We have the right to speak to God himself without fear. We can have peace now and forever because Jesus conquered the world.
His disciples said, “Look, now you are speaking plainly and not in obscure figures of speech! Now we know that you know everything and do not need anyone to ask you anything. Because of this we believe that you have come from God.”
Jesus replied, “Do you now believe? Look, a time is coming—and has come—when you will be scattered, each one to his own home, and I will be left alone. Yet I am not alone, because my Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world.”
In these verses, Jesus is talking with his disciples before his betrayal, crucifixion, and earth-shaking triumphal return. I wish we had a better word than "disciples." Do we use "disciple" for anything now that isn't religious? Seeing unusual words probably makes it seem distant and less intimate than it probably was. And yet it was a real moment.
Jesus is explaining to his posse, his peeps, his tribe of friends and admirers, his devoted followers, however you want to call it, that he is going to unlock a whole new reality for them, but in the process he'll disappear. Read the whole chapter for the juicy details, but know that it's pretty awesome and culminates in these verses.
We live in a world of trouble and suffering. Beautiful, cherished people die tragic deaths. Soulmates and business partners betray us. There are horrible sicknesses you can't even imagine without reading the Internet. Things break. People starve. Nothing we do can keep it from happening. Our lives will never be perfect. Despite all that Jesus did for his disciples, his beloved inner circle, their devotion to him was imperfect, and there was no "happily ever after" in store for them on Earth.
Not long after Jesus had this conversation with them, he was betrayed by one of his star pupils, a constant companion. An armed mob came and found him in the wilderness and he was barely able to keep it from turning into a vicious street fight. He was arrested on trumped up charges, dragged through a corrupt legal system, and then his own community turned on him. He was beaten and tortured beyond recognition, publicly humiliated, dragged through the streets, and then essentially tortured to death in a public execution of the kind ISIS would carry out. His own mother had to watch. The world is full of trouble and suffering.
Jesus knew what was coming but his disciples didn't. He tried warning them over and over that this was serious, but they mouthed empty religious words. "We believe in you." "We'll follow you anywhere." You can almost hear Jesus' frustration when he asks "Do you now believe?" ("Do you really?") He predicts exactly what they're going to do. The moment things get rough, they will all go back to where they came from. They run home to momma. Back to their day job. Back to their homeland and their people. It all falls apart.
The full truth is in the last bit though: "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world." In Jesus, whose suffering opened the door for us to talk directly to God like he is one of us, we can have peace. He has conquered the world. Who else in history has done that? That's a seriously powerful ally.
After everything fell apart, Jesus returned from death victorious. He hunted down every last one of his disciples, not in revenge like in the movies, but to restore them in love and build his church. In our verses he tells them to take courage, and here he makes them brave. He conquered the world and took every single thing that happened and turned it to his advantage and ours. Death? Who cares, I'm back. Betrayal? Who cares, the gang is back together. Eternal damnation? Not anymore, not on my watch.
All the trouble and suffering the world was capable of throwing at Jesus got turned to good. His church continues to this day. He introduced us to the Holy Spirit. We have the right to speak to God himself without fear. We can have peace now and forever because Jesus conquered the world.
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