Jesus did Overcome

Easter for us as Christians is the time to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am so joyful that His death was capped off with His overcoming that death with resurrection. Yet, this morning I was reminded that Jesus overcame before He died and rose again.

“³²Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:32-33 (ESV)

In this passage, Jesus is speaking with His apostles and explaining to them plainly who He is. He is giving them no doubt as to His deity and that He is not in need of anything from this world. He says to them in verse 33, “I have overcome the world”. This statement and interaction with the apostles comes before His death and resurrection. Jesus had been building up to this moment with them for some time and this was the beginning of His showing the world that He had overcome, but going to the cross as an innocent man and dying for you and me so that we would not have to die in our sin.

Jesus was hated. Where He was followed and celebrated for the work He was doing, He was looked at as a charismatic speaker who was taking the attention away from those in religious power. He was hated by them before they hated you and me as we were the followers and may still be swayed back.

“¹⁸If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” – John 15:18-19 (ESV)

Jesus was not of the world and therefor was not under the rule of the world. He overcame the world well before His death and resurrection. Jesus knew however that we needed a more firm example of our acceptance and that He had overcome. So, He died, and then was raised again. I now can see with my eyes that He had overcome this world. Jesus is greater than all and was not constrained by this world, He ruled over it through His love for you and me and His sacrifice for us.

What is your view of Jesus overcoming the world? Were you of the thoughts that it was His death and resurrection where He overcame? What if you look at it from the perspective that He overcame and ruled this world and was crucified to demonstrate His rule over the world?