“Be Encouraged! I Have Conquered The World”

Through his willing submission and death, Jesus says, “I have conquered the world.” He also calls us to “be encouraged.” How do we do that?

Scripture:       

Jeremiah, chapters 16-17; Psalm 96; John, chapter 16

John 16:25-33 (CEB):

“I’ve been using figures of speech with you. The time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in such analogies. Instead, I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I’m not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed that I came from God. I left the Father and came into the world. I tell you again: I am leaving the world and returning to the Father.”

His disciples said, “See! Now you speak plainly; you aren’t using figures of speech. Now we know that you know everything and you don’t need anyone to ask you. Because of this we believe you have come from God.”

Jesus replied, “Now you believe? Look! A time is coming – and is here! – when each of you will be scattered to your own homes and you will leave me alone. I’m not really alone, for the Father is with me. I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.”

Observations: I Have Conquered the World

This passage closes Jesus’ “farewell address” to his disciples in John’s Gospel. Of course, it isn’t really his “farewell.” He has already told them, “Soon you won’t be able to see me; soon after that, you will see me” (John 16:16). But this passage is his final remarks to them before his crucifixion. Soon, they wouldn’t see him; he’d be in the tomb. Soon after that, they would see him, for he would rise again. Jesus understood that the next few days would be incredibly difficult for them. He told them at the beginning of chapter 16, “I have said these things to you so that you won’t fall away” (John 16:2). From a human perspective, Jesus’ arrest and execution would be “the end.” Jesus knows that it will not be the end, but a new beginning.

You Loved Me and Believed

Jesus encourages his disciples in several ways in this passage. First, he tells them, the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed that I came from God. Of course, God loves everyone; Jesus himself said that to Nicodemus in John 3:16. But belief in Jesus as the Son of God leads us to love both Jesus and the Father in a deeper way. God, in turn, responds to that belief by welcoming us into his family and his eternal kingdom.

John’s Gospel makes clear that this belief is more than just an acknowledgment that Jesus existed. It is belief that Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnation of the eternal Son of God. The Prologue to John’s Gospel (John 1:1-18) starts the Gospel with these declarations:

• Those who welcomed the Word were authorized to become God’s children (1:12)
• The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (1:14)
• Jesus came to demonstrate God’s grace and truth (1:17)
• The only Son came to make God known to us (1:18)

It is impossible to “love” Jesus without believing that he is the one and only Son, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

“Now We Know”

When Jesus spoke plainly to the disciples, they finally “got it.” “Now we know that you know everything…Because of this we believe that you have come from God.” Belief flows from the recognition of Jesus’ power and the understanding of where that power comes from. In chapter 1, Nathanael confessed Jesus as the Son of God and king of Israel (John 1:49) because Jesus told him that he had seen Nathanael “under the fig tree” (John 1:48). The woman at the well believed that Jesus was the Messiah because he “told me everything I’ve done” (John 4:29). Belief flows from understanding who God is. Satan tries to keep us from understanding that, because he realizes that when we see God clearly, we will believe.

“A Time Is Coming”

We’d love to think that after the disciples realize who Jesus really is, they all join hands and sing “Kum Ba Yah,” and “they all live happily ever after.” The reality is a bit different. “Look! A time is coming – and is here! – when each of you will be scattered to your own homes and you will leave me alone.” After Jesus prays in the Garden (John 17), the soldiers come to arrest him; the next day he will be crucified. Not exactly the happy ending the disciples would have expected!

But as we noted earlier, Jesus started chapter 16 by telling them that he was warning them about what would happen “so that you won’t fall away.” And he closes his remarks by warning them: “In the world you have distress.” That’s not really news to us, of course; we see distress every day. We often find ourselves in the middle of distress. We live in a broken world, damaged and polluted by sin. Jesus’ promise is not that his disciples are exempt from problems; his promise is that he will be with us. The Spirit “will be with you” (John 14:17; see “Jesus’ Promise to Us: ‘The Spirit Will Be With You’”).

A time is coming – and is here! But Jesus again encourages his disciples: “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me.” Jesus started his “farewell address” by telling the disciples not to be troubled (John 14:1); he closes it with the promise of his peace. His victory would not come the world’s way – through violence – but in fact would defeat the world by willingly suffering. His death demonstrates that sin and death no longer have power over us. Be encouraged! I have conquered the world.

Application: “I Have Conquered the World”

People often wrestle with what it means that Jesus has conquered the world. If Jesus has conquered the world, why do so many bad things still happen? Why does Satan still have the power to lead people astray? How can evil hold such sway?

That brings us back to belief. Not everyone believes that Jesus is the Son of God, who came to reveal God to us and provide a path for reconciliation with God. Sin separates us from God (“The Harsh Reality: How Sin Separates Us from God”) because God is holy. When we believe in Jesus, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who leads us in God’s way and empowers us to live in relationship with God. The Spirit does not exempt us from trials; he enables us to overcome them.

Jesus has conquered the world, but as is the case in almost any war, the losing side continues to fight long after their defeat is assured.

As followers of Jesus, we need to recognize that he has conquered the world. He calls us to tell the good news that anyone who believes can receive the life that he offers, and share in his coming kingdom. One of the most important ways we can do that is to do what Jesus says: Don’t be troubled (John 14:1). Be encouraged! He has conquered the world!

Prayer:

Father, we confess that there are times that we wonder why evil has such a strong hold on our world when Jesus has already conquered the world. Thank you for reminding us that we have peace in Christ, that we can be encouraged because of what he has done for us. You have given us your Holy Spirit to lead us in truth and empower us to live faithfully. Help us to reflect the peace that only comes from knowing you. Amen.