Take Heart
Contributed By: Rev. Mark Breese
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Pastor Mark is the Agency Minister and the Director of Ministry & Community Partnerships at Community Missions.
John 16:29-33
Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It is a truism that … stuff … happens. Try as we might to make plans and remove the seeming randomness of the universe from the equation, sometimes things just do not work out as we were planning or expecting.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives a long discourse to the disciples as they share his last meal. He explains all kinds of things to them about himself, how God works, what they can expect to happen… I mean it is a lot. Not all of it is easy for the disciples to grasp.
In 16:16, Jesus tells them that he will not be with them much longer and the disciples are even more confused. He offers them comfort about what will come, and then says, in verse 33, about all that he has just explained in the long discourse.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
But take heart! … I love that little sentence not because troubles will end, because they will; Not because some new troubles won’t come along, because they will. I love that little sentence because of what Jesus was trying to make his disciples understand—No matter what the life has instore for us, no matter what the ultimate outcome of any of our plans, Jesus overcame the ultimate plan changer. God’s love for us overcomes all things and gives us not just the hope, but the certainty of newness of life each and every day. Through all the unexpected changes in our plans, all the curve balls the universe throws us, God’s love for us remains unchanged and nothing can separate us from it.
“Life” another John once said, “is what happens to you while you are making other plans.” Sometimes it is just a curious thing how that goes, and other times, it hits the fan. I’d say that we are all in one of those “stuff hits the fan” kind of moments. Everything seems uncertain.
For me, Jesus’ words ring clearly through all of this. They even ring clearly through all my “plans” to manage all these unexpected changes.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.
We should all take heart in that. Jesus, the Christ, came for each one of us, and nothing can change that.
Pastor Mark