“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 had just completed His final meal with His disciples. They were mystified by many of His words that evening; talk of His departure to His Father, the coming of the “Comforter,” warnings that each of them would abandon Him. And Jesus, sensing their confusion, discomfort and dismay, provided them with this word of encouragement as He began His high priestly prayer to His Father, and their Father.
The word for tribulation (or ‘trouble’ as it is in the NIV) is a root, thlipsis, which has a cognate form of “pressing” or “pressure.” The verb is used to describe the crowds pressing to get to Jesus with such force that He urged His disciples “to have a boat ready for him because of the crowds, lest they crush Him” (Mark 3:9). In our text, the meaning is metaphorical for “distress that is the result of outward circumstances.” The events that follow this verse would indeed cause distress for the disciples and their Lord and Savior. At the end, however, Jesus purchased the “peace that passes all understanding” for His followers, a peace that would only be found in Him, a peace that surpassed anything this present evil age could possibly offer. Jesus did indeed “overcome the world.”
The pressure of the past few weeks have left many of us distressed and troubled. The sequestration caused by COVID-19 has inflicted massive damage on our nation and our lives, financial distress, emotional discomfort, physical suffering and isolation. The past few days have only added to our collective consternation as we watch our country seemingly implode in civil unrest, with peaceful protests devolving into anarchy and violence.
Some in our congregation have experienced times like these before. Assassinations and political upheaval sent our country spiraling into protests and violence in the 1960’s and 70’s. In 1989, the Berlin Wall collapsed, along with the Soviet Union, our implacable foe for decades. And for our youngest families, they have now experienced the tragedy of 9/11, the “Great Recession” of 2008, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now the international Coronavirus and the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd, an African American man, which precipitated the latest round of protests.
Like all of you, we have felt the pressure of these outward circumstances that weigh upon us, robbing us of our joy and confidence. Yet our great Savior has a singular instruction for us: “Take heart!” The verb is an imperative, a command. In the face of seemingly hopeless despair, the One who overcame the world promises us a peace that will only be found in Him, a peace that surpasses anything this present evil age could possibly offer.
What does “take heart” look like in our present circumstances? When helplessness envelopes us, what are we to do with our troubled hearts? Our passage provides two contrasting conditions for the believer in times of trouble. Since our peace is in Christ and not in the world, our most important focus should be heaven, not this present evil age. If Christ’s death and resurrection has overcome this present evil age, then our peace is secure in Him.
Listen to the words of Jeremiah Burroughs as he describes the believer in times of distress:
“A Christian is desirous that the Word of God should take such full possession as to divide between soul and spirit, but he would not allow the fear and noise of evil tidings to take such a hold in his soul as to make a division and struggling there. A well-tempered spirit may enquire after things outside in the world, and suffer some ordinary cares and fears to break into the suburbs of the soul, so as to touch lightly upon the thoughts. Yet it will not on any account allow an intrusion into the private room, which should be wholly reserved for Jesus Christ as His inward temple.”[1]
As we turn our gaze upon Christ, on His word, His unshakeable promises and His glory, our passing troubles in this present evil age come into perspective, “and the things of the world grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”[2]
May the shalom which Christ purchased with His blood comfort us in our present circumstances as we “take heart” in His sovereign rule over us until His return.
[1] Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1964; first published 1648), 23. Emphasis mine.
[2] Helen Howarth Lemmel, The Heavenly Vision (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus), published 1922. Based on Isaiah 45:22.