John 16:32-33 32Behold, an hour is coming and has already come, that you will be scattered, each to his own home, and leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33These things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
The disciples’ confusion, fear, and weakness would not last, however. A new day was coming when Jesus would give them peace. Verse 33 gives the two spheres in which the followers of Jesus live. On the one hand, we live in the world where we will have tribulation (thlipsin), trouble, and affliction. Disciples can expect to receive the same treatment Jesus did.
Moreover, disciples can also expect to experience what he did in the resurrection. Because he overcame the world and all its efforts to suppress and reject him, those who are connected to him in faith and live this faith out in the obedience of love will be rescued from the forces of evil in the world. For Jesus, this did not mean escape, but victory. He persevered, even to the point of death. His ultimate triumph guarantees the same for all who believe in him.
The verb for overcome (nenikēka) is in the perfect tense, meaning that the victory has already been won and is unending. The world’s best effort of killing him only provided the opportunity for his power to be seen in resurrection. That same power is available to all who believe in him. Persecution, trouble, and suffering of all kinds do not need to pull us down or defeat us because we are in a relationship of love and dependence on Jesus, who is the victory.
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