Reading With the People of God #8 PeaceSample

John 16:33

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.

John is all about dramatic contrasts: Light versus darkness, flesh versus spirit, the world below versus the world above, conqueror versus the conquered. This kind of language permeates his Gospel, serving to heighten the tension of the historical narrative. With John, one thing is abundantly clear: the stakes are high. If the Gospel of John had been made into a movie, it would have been directed by Michael Bay or Guy Ritchie—lots of explosions.

The opening Christmas story sets the tone. John has no time for Hallmark cards or little babies meek and mild or even genealogies. Instead, he comes right out of the gate swinging by making the claim that Jesus is the logos. He is the divine answer to everything. He is the ordering principle of the universe. He breaks into our world like a comet, shattering our illusions about who we are and who God is and freeing us from the darkness that held us captive by overcoming it. “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” (John 16:33). Jesus has overcome. As New Testament scholar R. C. H. Lenski comments, “How foolish to be afraid of a crushed and conquered foe.”

Interestingly enough, Jesus speaks these encouraging words to his disciples immediately on the heels of his prediction that each would abandon him. He was right. As his crucifixion approached, they were overcome with fear, and they scattered. They gave in to their deepest anxieties and abandoned their Lord. They valued their own skin more than their Savior. Ultimately, our deepest fears reveal our lack of trust in God. They reveal that our fear of the Lord has been eclipsed by some other, lesser fear. We, too, abandon our Savior by not trusting in him above all things.

Yet the good news is that God’s love is greater than our fear. He came to bring peace through the shed blood of his son, who forgives us and graces us with faith. The dramatic tension we feel within our own hearts, against the world around us, and against the devil can only be stilled by his sure and steady nail-scarred hand. Thanks be to God; he has done just that.

Heavenly Father, forgive my attempts to overcome the world on my own. Help me rest in the all-sufficiency of your gifts. Amen.