We need to be clear that whenever John talks about the world in this passage, he is talking about the world without God. When humankind rejects God, the world is a terrible place full of sin, death and destruction. We are all called to live in such a world, but John wanted to make it clear that we don’t need to be scared of it because in Christ, we have the victory. On Good Friday, Jesus died as the evil world unleashed its worst on him, but that wasn’t the end. On the Sunday morning, Jesus rose from death and proved that he had the victory.

This has very practical implications for us. It affects our daily lives in a very profound way. Day by day, we head into a world where God is not respected by most people. The news is full of accounts of abuse, violence, brokenness and disorder. On the face of it, this is all very depressing, but the wonderful fact is that because Jesus has won the final victory over sin and death, we can look at the world with hope and confidence. Towards the end of Jesus’ ministry, he encouraged his disciples to receive his gift of peace. His words were very realistic. He didn’t deny that there would be problems in the world, but assured his followers that final victory would be theirs. Jesus said: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

At times, it might feel as if the power of God and of evil are fairly evenly matched, but they aren’t! As we place our trust in God, we can claim the Easter victory every day. This should fill us with confidence as we serve God today.

What do you understand by Jesus’ claim that he had overcome the world?

Loving God, I thank you for your gift of peace. Thank you that as I trust myself to you, nothing can destroy it. Amen