Jesus declared the following words recorded in John 16:32-33 during his discourse with his disciples before his crucifixion.
“Indeed the hour is coming, yes has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said be of good cheer, take heart be courageous, because I have overcome the world. The word “world” means cosmos in the Greek: the world, the universe. Jesus proclaimed his victory before he went to the cross. He told his disciples to take heart, be courageous. He was the one going to the cross, but He still told them to be of good cheer. Jesus knew who He was as a Son and submitted fully to the plan of the Father. He was trusting confidently that the Father would perform what He had promised.
In chapter 17 of the gospel of John, Jesus prays and begins his prayer with a profound statement of faith, even prophecy. Jesus said,
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that your Son also may glorify You.''
Jesus saw his VICTORY!! He knew he had already overcome because of what the Father had showed Him. He had to believe just like we do. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene in order to submit himself-not battle the enemy. The battle was won with His obedience – not with a battle with the enemy. His victory was in the act of obedience that would glorify God. His act of obedience gave him the title of overcomer. He overcame the world, the cosmos, the universe- His obedience set everything right that was wrong.
Colossians 1:18-20 in the Message bible, says it so powerfully,
He was supreme in the beginning and –leading the resurrection parade-he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the UNIVERSE-people and things, animals and atoms-get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood poured down from the Cross.
The OVERCOMER tells us to “take heart, be of good cheer, be courageous” because HE has overcome the world and everything in it. His VICTORY has caused all things to find their proper place. He saw with eyes of faith His victory and wanted to encourage his disciples during the most difficult time of their lives. His words are life and spirit. His word is eternal. He says this to his disciples today.
Hebrews 2:8 reminds us of the testimony of the Psalmist,
You have put all things in subjection under his feet.
For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But NOW we do not yet see all things put under him….
But we see Jesus….
Now we don’t see all things under His subjection, but that does not change the fact that Jesus believes the promise of His Father, our Father. He proclaims, “ I have overcome the world, the cosmos”. So even when we don’t see what we think we should see…we SEE HIM. We see him and we hear his words by Holy Spirit who testifies of Him.
As a son, He believed the promise of the Father and overcame because of His obedience. As a son, we believe the promise of the Father and His Christ and overcome because He overcame. His victory is our victory.
1 John 5:4
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 4:17
Love has been perfected among us in this; that we many have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
Our faith is in Him, our victory is in Him, our life is in Him….HE is the one who overcame…so that those who put their faith in Him become sons and overcomers.