A Very Good Friday

            It had been a strange and solemn evening.  Jesus and His disciples had gathered in an upstairs room to celebrate Passover, a feast filled with symbolism and meaning.  Jesus knows that His time left with these twelve men is short, and He focuses His teaching on them alone.  After supper, Jesus plays the part of a servant, washing each of their feet.  He returns to the table and reveals that one of them will betray Him, and then sends Judas away to do what he will.  He teaches them about the Holy Spirit, and about abiding.  He reminds them that the greatest gift and act of obedience they can share in is to love each other.  He tells them He is going away and that they will mourn.  He prays for them, and for us (John 17:20).  In the midst of this, His farewell teaching, He tells them to take courage, because He has overcome the world.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

            Strange words, these, coming from a man who has just sent Judas away to betray Him.  Strange words from a man who is about to die. 

            When we think of overcoming, we think of strength, of commanding power.  We think of might.  We don’t think of blood.  We don’t think of dying.  We don’t think like God does.

            In God’s definition of overcoming, the distinction between overcoming and being overcome seems to blur.  Power is displayed in suffering.  Death is conquered by the One who embraced it, absorbed it, yielded to it, and then rose beyond it.  In Revelation the only one found worthy to open the Book was the Lamb, humblest of animals, looking as if it had been slain (Rev. 5:6).

            Jesus overcame the world.  He took on the form of man, setting aside His power and majesty.  He lived as one of us, was tempted as one of us, and became sin for us.  He rose and conquered death, so that we too could overcome.

            Too often we choose the wrong weapons with which to overcome our world.  We fight with willpower, with words or anger, or strength of sheer determination.  God says not my might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.  He tells us to overcome with love and by the life we live.  To be overcomers, we must do things His way, with His weapons, even when it seems foolish and weak to us and to those around us.  To be overcomers we must learn to value the things He values, and to think in a way that is contrary to our nature.

To be overcomers, we must take on the mind of Christ.

“To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”  Rev. 2:7b