Advent - John 16:33
John 16:33
I have said these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but have courage! I have conquered the world.”
It's interesting to read a little context around this morning's Advent reflection passage/verse...
John 16:31-33
31 Jesus replied to them, “Now do you believe? 32 Behold, an hour is coming—and has come—that you will be scattered each one to his own home, and you will leave me alone. And I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but have courage! I have conquered the world.”
It sounds to me like right on the heels of Jesus saying "hey, you're gonna leave me alone for a minute out of fear" he says "I still love you, have peace, I am victorious"... I think he's saying that the important thing isn't the natural human response to pain and affliction to be to recede. Instead he's saying that in his victory, by his love for us, the affliction will be a distant memory and Jesus is speaking in the reality of affliction being in the past, because he has conquered the world.
When my daughter's have to do something they are a little scared to do, or something they don't understand, my response to them is "I am your dad, I love you, you don't have to understand why I'm asking you to do this right now but do you trust me?"
I try to drive home with my daughters (and my wife for that matter) that in any single thing I do - they are my priority. I don't always do the thing appropriately, I'm not saying I'm infallible. But I think I get what Jesus is saying here - he is the focus, he is the thing that matter, his victory is more meaningful than my affliction and honestly the comfort from that affliction is found in nothing more than trusting Jesus because I know he loves me. Just like I ask my daughters to trust me, and I hope that trust calms their anxiety about whatever I've asked of them, Jesus says "trust me - I have conquered the world"