Many of us have
at least a passing interest in sports.
Whatever it is, baseball, football, hockey. It’s a distraction from the stress of life, a
way to pass the time, and mostly just good clean fun, even some people
overindulge.
I’ve always wondered, though I will never know, what it’s like to be a world
champion – of anything. To be the best runner, or gymnast, or weightlifter. To
wear that gold medal around your neck and know that at least for a moment – you
are the best of the best. I think we all have a certain respect for someone who
can achieve such a rare status as “world champion”.
Jesus concludes his remarks to the disciples today with the words, “take heart;
I have overcome the world.” But he’s not talking about overcoming in some kind
of sporting competition. And what he
wins is not a gold medal, a trophy or a championship belt. Our Lord Jesus Christ is about winning, for
us, forgiveness, life and salvation. He overcomes the world by dying, rising,
ascending and reigning for all eternity.
“The World” is a theme running through our readings today. The nations of the
world, anyway, have come into focus in this late Easter season. The book of
Acts has been detailing the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s people. Today
we read about Paul going to preach in Macedonia. We see also, the holy city of
Jerusalem, a picture of the Christian Church in her glory – and into that city
the “kings of the earth will bring their glory”. And we already know the
inhabitants of heaven are “from every tribe, nation, people and tongue.” There
is a missionary undercurrent and backdrop – the message of Christ crucified and
risen is a message that must be shared with the world!
But “The World” can also mean (and usually does in John’s Gospel) all that which
is opposed to God. Being “in the world but not of it” is this same idea – that
though we Christians must live in this hostile territory – behind enemy lines –
our true citizenship is in heaven. And we are on our way home. But we must deal
with the world. We must face it, for we live here, in the world. And the world,
Jesus says, hates his disciples. This can be a problem.
It can be a problem when we are persecuted for our faith. You never have to look to hard to find
stories about persecution of Christians – not being crucified or thrown to the
lions, like in the days of Rome. But
surely in certain places Christians are still under fire and threat of death,
or even just loss of property and rights. We don’t face that kind of
persecution where we live- but it could happen some day.
The hatred of the world works on us in more subtle ways. Our world hates God’s
ways, and fills our heads with lies and temptations. The devil is always at
work, the prince of this world, tempting us any which way he can. But the world
around us also seeks to shake our faith in the truth of God’s word, to make us
doubt the perfect standard of his law, and in our me-first culture, to elevate
our own needs and wants above everyone else’s. By our sinful nature we are
selfish, greedy, petty, insincere, gossip-mongering, self-aggrandizing,
fearful, disrespectful, and many things worse. And the world would cultivate
all these things within us. The world would have us, too, be enemies of Christ
and of his word and his way.
But Christ has overcome the world. And in Christ, so do we.
Christ has overcome the world by his death. A funny way to fight a battle, by
laying down your life. A strange way to win the ultimate victory, by counting
all as loss. God’s power is made perfect in weakness. So instead of climbing
the pedestal to the tune of a national anthem with a gold medal around his
neck, Christ’s victory over the World is seen hung on a cross with thorns
around his head, for all the world to see his shame and agony. But he himself declares
the contest over with those powerful words, “it is finished”.
And though the price of our redemption was paid, and the work of our salvation
was finished at the cross… Jesus’ work as our savior would go on. He would rise
for us, appear for us, ascend for us, and reign in heaven for us. There, on his
divine throne, at the right hand of the Father, with everything under his feet,
Jesus has surely overcome the world, and rules it for us in love.
When Jesus was speaking to his disciples in our reading today, he had not yet
gone to the cross. But he knew he would, and that by it he would conquer all
his enemies. He speaks of his victory as a present reality, even though it
hadn’t been fulfilled just yet.
We too know Christ’s victory over the world as a now-and-not-yet reality. For
the cross and the empty tomb are accomplished and stand behind us in history.
And yet, his return in glory is still on the future horizon. We are the
victorious people of God, but when we look around us we see defeat at every turn.
The world seems to have its way with us. Sometimes it all seems hopeless. But
all is not as it seems.
“But take heart; I have overcome the world” Jesus says.
We get a glimpse of our future as we read Revelation and see the glories of our
heavenly home. Our imaginations run wild at the promise of the resurrection of
the dead and the life of the world to come. So that even in the darkest moments
of life, even in the valley of the shadow of death, we can and do “take heart”
for Christ has “overcome the world”.
He does it not for himself, but for us. We couldn’t have done it ourselves.
When it comes to the world, we win some, we lose some. We have our ups and
downs. But we could never be free of worldliness, were it not for someone “out
of this world”, namely Jesus Christ. He who “came from God” and has returned to
God, also came to bring us back to God.
His victory is not a moment in time, or 15 minutes of fame. He will not be
defeated by the next challenger. He has overcome the world. His victory wasn’t
a narrow one, just barely winning the day. This contest was decided long before
it started. He has overcome the world. His victory over the sin-filled and
sin-scarred world brings wholeness and restoration, as he makes all things new.
He has overcome the world. And in him, so do we. Take heart!
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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