Gospel of 25 May 2020
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
John 16:29-33
Be brave, for I have conquered the world
His disciples said to Jesus, ‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them: ‘Do you believe at last? Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already – when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.’
Reflexion
Sometimes, Christians behave like losers rather than victors. It is so much easier to play the victim than to live our lives victoriously and courageously, as how Christ would have wanted us to. Are we Christians sometimes singled out for persecution? Yes, of course! Is it difficult to live out the gospel values in a world that seeks to push a different set of values? Yes, certainly. Is being a Christian making it harder for us to enjoy all the liberties and privileges which our non-Christian friends seem to possess? Yes, most definitely! But this in no way means that we are a defeated people. We are not! We are victorious in spite of all the troubles life and society throws at us because Christ is victorious! He has “conquered the world.”
These are our Lord’s final words of reassurance, comfort, and encouragement to His disciples in the upper room before His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.
Here in Chapter 16, our Lord speaks to them of His impending death and departure, as well as their desertion. He tells them, “Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already – when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” Knowledge of the Father’s constant companionship would sustain Jesus until the very end.
Hearing of Jesus’ impending fate must have been disconcerting for the disciples, which is why Jesus immediately followed up with these comforting words, “I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.”
Here, we see two certain realities: First, the followers of Jesus will suffer great distress; and Second, Jesus has already won the victory. Jesus’s claim of victory over the world is in reference to His death, burial, and resurrection. But first, He didn’t want His disciples to be under the delusion that their future ministry would be full of ease and comfort, and He doesn’t want us to think that either. Following Christ is difficult and there will be opposition. Yet, the reality of Christ’s victory over sin and death via His own death and resurrection provides peace and courage in the midst of that opposition.
God never said life would be easy. The world’s trials await us at every turn and at every stage of our lives. No one is immune to trouble. And just when you think that our Christian Faith will preserve us from this maelstrom, we are reminded that the life of the Cross – the life of every Christian – is anything but easy. The path we are on can be filled with pain, troubles and difficulties, but we know it leads to glory, especially when we choose to share in Christ’s suffering.
The Christian life may be hard, but it cannot crush us. The reason being that the finished work of Christ removes the teeth from suffering, as it blunts the sting of death. By entering into our world and suffering alongside us, Jesus offers certain hope that transcends the temporal sorrow and suffering this world throws at His followers. Therefore, we are not called to overcome the world ourselves because Christ already did. He provides us with strength to endure our present trials and a certain hope for the future by what He had accomplished in the past. He assures us of this, “in the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.”