“In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (TNIV)
You will have trouble. Hmm, we don’t really like to
read that do we? I don’t know for sure but I imagine that the disciples
wouldn’t have been that thrilled to hear it either. Have you noticed that
trouble strikes when you least expect it? You know what it’s like, life is
going smoothly and then along comes trouble in it’s many forms; the unexpected
late-night knock on the door; the words that you never expected your partner to
say; the doctor with the kind smile and the negative report; the child you said
the hurried goodbye to as they rushed out the door, never dreaming that it would
be for the last time. Trouble, trouble that you never saw coming; that’s the
way it was for the disciples, they didn’t see it coming either. They’d spent
three years with Jesus; they’d seen prophecies fulfilled and miracles performed,
and then he tells them to expect trouble. As followers of Jesus we’d like to
think we can live happy, long and trouble-free lives, safe from the trials and
tribulations of the world in which we live, but are not a part of. While the disciples didn’t see it coming Jesus did; in John’s Gospel Jesus
farewell was spoken as if the resurrection had already taken place, and as we
reflect on Jesus words we can be comforted by the fact that the Holy Spirit is
not bound by time, the words of comfort spoken to the disciples then are just
as relevant today.
Take heart, how do we take heart? How were the
disciples able to endure the suffering and persecution that eventually came
their way; troubles different to those we encounter but troubles just the same,
how did they take heart? Jesus. They had encountered Jesus, the one who would suffer once and for all of
humanity; following the resurrection a group of scattered frightened people
became fearless; when trouble came they chose to see the world from the victory
of Sunday rather than the pain, suffering and defeat of Friday. He died for them
and he died for you. So the next time life blindsides you, take heart, the
peace the world has to offer is nothing compared with the peace Jesus offers. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, this world is not all there is.
No comments:
Post a Comment