The
above quote from Scripture conveys some of the words of comfort our Lord Jesus
shared with His disciples in the dying hours before heading to the cross. He
had observed their worry and anxiety about their future after He had revealed
to them that He was going to Jerusalem to die. He assured them however, that
they would not be left comfortless. He would send them the Comforter. First, He
had to get out of the scene prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit. As was
expected, the disciples received such news with heavy hearts.
What
do we understand the Lord to mean when He said that He had conquered the world?
The world is characterised by the grip sin has on the populace. In fact, Satan
and his cohorts have a hold on the world that we cannot fathom. Literally, they
have put the world in chains. Satan is able to do so because Adam and Eve the
custodians of the world sold it to him when they disobeyed God’s instruction
not to eat of the tree in the centre of the garden. In actual fact, they sided
with God’s enemy.
How
do we know this? One of the baits Satan used when he made futile attempts at
tempting our Lord Jesus, was this; “The devil took Him (Jesus) to a very high
mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. All
this I give to you,” He said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew
4:8-9) The point is that you cannot offer someone something that does not
belong to you.
Our
Lord Jesus’ mission on earth was to recover what the devil had stolen. “And I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head and you will strike his head.” (Genesis 3:15) This
event occurred on Calvary’s Hill where our Lord Jesus hung on a cross as a
ransom for sin. He became the penalty of sin by dying a shameful death for the
benefit of humanity.
As
He breathed His last, He exclaimed still in agony; “It is finished!” This meant
the devil has been defeated; humanity had no reason to harbour fear of the
devil anymore. After His resurrection, He commissioned His disciples, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded
you.” (Matthew 28:18)
The
battle has been fought and won on our behalf on the cross of Calvary and our
Lord Jesus has been victorious. We did not deserve it; we did not earn it and
most of all we did not merit that He, our Lord Jesus, should die for humanity –
the whole wide world. He did it nevertheless. We all have reason to be
grateful, because we also are overcomers through Him who loved us and laid down
His life for His friends.
Hymn
writer of the hymn 215 in the Methodist Hymn-Book captures it vividly as
portrayed by these lyrics -- “The strife is over the battle done, now is the
Victor’s triumph won. Now be the song of praise begun; Alleluia!” Indeed, this
is good news that we must not keep to ourselves but spread throughout the
world. Our Lord Jesus has defeated our common enemy, and there is cause for
rejoicing.
The
apostle Paul renders it thusly; “And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His
purposes.” (Romans 8:28) Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross we have
become more than conquerors.
I
do not know what battles, trials or struggles you have been going through
lately. It will be futile on your part to fight back single-handedly. Hand it
all over to Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, to fight on your behalf and
watch how you will regain sanity. The Bible states that the battle is the
Lord’s but the victory is ours. The hard part is for the Lord, we cannot handle
it; the burden will overpower us, because we are no match for the devil without
the Holy Spirit’s cover. The devil hears the name of our Lord Jesus and
trembles.
You
will recall soon after the Children of Israel departed Egypt heading for the
Promised Land that they encountered their first hurdle. O how they panicked,
when the whole army of Egypt pursued them! They would have stoned Moses as a
result. But God, the Almighty intervened and told Moses to assure them that
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” (Exodus 14:14) Equally
when ‘a vast army from Edom’ threatened to attack King Jehoshaphat and the
latter enquired of the Lord, he was told; “You will not have to fight this
battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord
will give you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17) What God, the Omnipotent One, said to
Moses and Jehoshaphat He is saying to you and me.
You
see, God has not changed; He is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
(Hebrews 13:18) He is still fighting our battles and winning them on our
behalf.
“God
is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will
not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their singing.”
(Psalm 46:1-3)
“But
thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph --” (2 Corinthians
2:14)
