“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world.”” (John 16:33, NET 2nd ed.)
When you are studying the Bible, it often helps to look at a scripture for repetitions. Repetitions can convey special meanings, hidden truths, or bring special attention to a word or phrase or paragraph. Notice in the scripture above that Jesus’ words contain a juxtaposition based on a repetition. Jesus used the word “in” in the scripture above to give you a clue to His meaning.
In John 16:33, Jesus juxtaposes two things, making them polar opposites. Jesus claimed that “in me, you may have peace”. At the opposite end of the spectrum Jesus claimed that “In the world, you will have trouble and suffering”. As a believer in Christ Jesus, you will find that the longer you remain in Christ, the more peace in heart and soul and mind will be found. If your heart is more in the world, you will covet worldly possessions, seek worldly answers, or try to follow worldly ideals. There, all you will find is “trouble and suffering”. It’s not that being a Christian frees you from trouble and suffering. The world you live in will force that upon you. However, with Jesus, you will find a real source of comfort and assurance and peace.
Too many Christians have become so worldly in their views, beliefs, and standards that they feel an overwhelming amount of “trouble and suffering”. Sadly, they assume that the suffering or troubles they face are caused by a failure of God to fix everything or a weak faith. That may not be the problem. Instead, the more one’s heart and soul are corrupted by worldly ways, the more trouble and suffering will appear.
Jonah was an elder in his parish. He was a good-hearted man who cared for others. He prided himself on strict adherence to “follow Christ with his whole heart”. For several years after he got married, Jonah desired a promotion to management. He thought this would help things at home as well as increase his status at the company. In 2022, Jonah got his chance. He was offered a job in management with one caveat, he would have to work weekends and have off each Tuesday. The change would net him $5000 more in income each year as well as make him available for stock options and other advancements. With joy at the thought of what he and his wife could do with the money and options, Jonah took the management job.
At first, the management job was great. Jonah got a new car for his wife. They started to set aside savings for children. They even went out to an expensive restaurant that they always wanted to visit. However, Jonah’s heart and prayer life were suffering. So was his family time. Not being home on weekends meant missing worship and his church friends. Working through the weekends also made him unavailable for family get-togethers. Jonah spent less and less time with his wife and extended family each week.
On his day off one Tuesday in July, Jonah was missing his wife. She was at work. The weather was beautiful. It was a glorious day. But Jonah felt lonely. Jonah decided to wash his car. As he buffed the shiny exterior, he saw his reflection. As he did, Jonah realized that all the polish in the world couldn’t make his heart and day any brighter. He longed for God. He missed his church friends. He missed weekend date nights with his wife. He felt alone. After a period of prayer, Jonah decided to switch back to his old Job. Some time later, Jonah said to himself, “Sometimes it takes a worldly choice to reveal what you need the most!”
As Jesus explained to His disciples in John 16:33, worldly choices will bring you troubles and suffering. Jonah experienced this when he made a change in work based more on financial security than on other more important factors. Like Jonah, you may find that life after a few worldly choices begins to take a toll on your heart and soul and mind. Sadly, you may not be able to take back a poor choice later. Your worldly choices may pile up until you find your soul or mind far from at peace with your past or your present.
Is there some area of your life where worldliness is creeping in? Have you found peace decreasing from heart and soul? Maybe what is going wrong is based on a worldly attitude or change in standards. Have you moved closer or further away from Jesus? Have you had good alone time with your Bible? Since Jesus is your greatest source of peace, maybe more prayer time with Jesus is what you need. Often, changing worldly ways or seeking closer ties with Jesus will improve your situation. One thing is for sure, the peace that Jesus offers the faithful is crucial to your sanity in this crazy world!
In John 16:33, Jesus juxtaposes two things, making them polar opposites. Jesus claimed that “in me, you may have peace”. At the opposite end of the spectrum Jesus claimed that “In the world, you will have trouble and suffering”. As a believer in Christ Jesus, you will find that the longer you remain in Christ, the more peace in heart and soul and mind will be found. If your heart is more in the world, you will covet worldly possessions, seek worldly answers, or try to follow worldly ideals. There, all you will find is “trouble and suffering”. It’s not that being a Christian frees you from trouble and suffering. The world you live in will force that upon you. However, with Jesus, you will find a real source of comfort and assurance and peace.
Too many Christians have become so worldly in their views, beliefs, and standards that they feel an overwhelming amount of “trouble and suffering”. Sadly, they assume that the suffering or troubles they face are caused by a failure of God to fix everything or a weak faith. That may not be the problem. Instead, the more one’s heart and soul are corrupted by worldly ways, the more trouble and suffering will appear.
Jonah was an elder in his parish. He was a good-hearted man who cared for others. He prided himself on strict adherence to “follow Christ with his whole heart”. For several years after he got married, Jonah desired a promotion to management. He thought this would help things at home as well as increase his status at the company. In 2022, Jonah got his chance. He was offered a job in management with one caveat, he would have to work weekends and have off each Tuesday. The change would net him $5000 more in income each year as well as make him available for stock options and other advancements. With joy at the thought of what he and his wife could do with the money and options, Jonah took the management job.
At first, the management job was great. Jonah got a new car for his wife. They started to set aside savings for children. They even went out to an expensive restaurant that they always wanted to visit. However, Jonah’s heart and prayer life were suffering. So was his family time. Not being home on weekends meant missing worship and his church friends. Working through the weekends also made him unavailable for family get-togethers. Jonah spent less and less time with his wife and extended family each week.
On his day off one Tuesday in July, Jonah was missing his wife. She was at work. The weather was beautiful. It was a glorious day. But Jonah felt lonely. Jonah decided to wash his car. As he buffed the shiny exterior, he saw his reflection. As he did, Jonah realized that all the polish in the world couldn’t make his heart and day any brighter. He longed for God. He missed his church friends. He missed weekend date nights with his wife. He felt alone. After a period of prayer, Jonah decided to switch back to his old Job. Some time later, Jonah said to himself, “Sometimes it takes a worldly choice to reveal what you need the most!”
As Jesus explained to His disciples in John 16:33, worldly choices will bring you troubles and suffering. Jonah experienced this when he made a change in work based more on financial security than on other more important factors. Like Jonah, you may find that life after a few worldly choices begins to take a toll on your heart and soul and mind. Sadly, you may not be able to take back a poor choice later. Your worldly choices may pile up until you find your soul or mind far from at peace with your past or your present.
Is there some area of your life where worldliness is creeping in? Have you found peace decreasing from heart and soul? Maybe what is going wrong is based on a worldly attitude or change in standards. Have you moved closer or further away from Jesus? Have you had good alone time with your Bible? Since Jesus is your greatest source of peace, maybe more prayer time with Jesus is what you need. Often, changing worldly ways or seeking closer ties with Jesus will improve your situation. One thing is for sure, the peace that Jesus offers the faithful is crucial to your sanity in this crazy world!