Jesus affirmed that we would have troubles in this life, but He very simply countered that reality with the overwhelmingly powerful truth that He has overcome the world! How strange it must have been for the disciples to hear such a statement from a man! Jesus, this humble teacher? Yes, they had seen Him perform miracles, but "overcome the world?!" Really? When the tsunamis of life hit our shores personally, such talk almost seems laughable! When our world has been turned upside down from loss, divorce, betrayal, illness, crime. . . can this simple statement from our Savior really give us what we long for -- peace, comfort, healing, victory?!
It is easy to say, "yes" when we are standing on calm ground. It was easy for Peter to declare boldly that he would never betray Jesus! But how quickly his confidence and bravery fled in the face of the slightest persecution! We have a huge advantage over Peter, who did not yet understand the cross! We know that Christ has conquered sin and death, and that He loves us eternally! That is our joy and our hope! But how fast that joy and hope seem to flee in the face of great turmoil, as if stolen from us along with our steady ground, and we feel naked and afraid, like Peter!
But Peter did eventually understand when he came face to face with the risen Lord, and he became a fiercely passionate voice for the gospel, even to the point of his own death! Receiving the Holy Spirit allowed Peter to see the resurrected Christ rightly, and enabled him to understand Jesus' compassion and love for him despite his dismal failure. This gave Peter an entirely new perspective and drive, and the shaky ground he would often come to stand on no longer compared to the hope set before him! Peter, perhaps, finally understood Jesus' words about having overcome the world! Here was the God Man, who prevailed against the grave, AND who is Love itself towards us, despite our weaknesses! Who would not want to align themselves with such a hope, such a strong tower, such a powerful love?! The hope set before us is infinitely greater than our trials, and He makes us bolder witnesses for the gospel when we consider Him our most precious treasure! This does not diminish the hardships we face! But we are not left feeling naked and alone! The Holy Spirit is in us!
He is no fool who takes refuge in the LORD, for no earthly stronghold, no matter how impenetrable, and no philosophical idea, no matter how lofty, can protect the soul like the One who has prevailed against the walls of hell itself, and renders all other ideas infinitely beneath His smallest thought of love towards us!
