John 16:33

These things have I spoken unto you, that in me, ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus had unfolded for his apostles a full account of all that was about to happen. The betrayal by Judas, the denial by Peter, the scattering of all of them to their own homes, the hatred and rejoicing of the world at his death; and the exact fulfillment of all those prophecies would strengthen their faith AFTER IT WAS ALL OVER.

That ye may have peace ... Hendriksen is right in seeing this peace as a dual blessing: "It is both objective (reconciliation with God) and subjective (the quiet, and comforting assurance of justification and adoption)."[23]

In the world ... in me ... Not even the apostles could receive the peace of God apart from being "in Christ." In him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All spiritual blessings in the heavenly places are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). "In the world ..." is the opposite state of being unsaved, without hope and without God in the world.

Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world ... The serene confidence and assurance of the Lord as he calmly awaited his agony and death are reflected in these words. How could he speak of "good cheer" in the face of all that he knew was about to happen? Only God could have exhibited such behavior upon such an occasion and in such a circumstance.

I have overcome the world ... How? He had overcome the world by overcoming the world's prince, Satan; he had overcome by rejecting the world's value-judgments; he had overcome by a perfect willingness to endure the worst the world could bring upon him without retreating from one word of his holy teachings; he had overcome by steadfast refusal to yield to the world's temptations of lust and pride; he had overcome the world by living a life of total innocence and perfection and, at the same time, a life of total power, authority, and effectiveness. He had indeed overcome the world!

According to Dummelow, "overcome" actually means "conquered." He said:

See the sublime vision in the Revelation, where Christ goes forth conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2). The victory of Christ over the world, and the victory of believers through that victory, are favorite themes of the Fourth Evangelist.[24]

The marvelous words of this extensive discourse of Jesus are matched by the marvelous recall of the words, at such a long time afterward, by the apostle John.[25] The Holy Spirit did indeed, as Jesus promised, bring to his remembrance "all" that Jesus said unto them. What a wealth of spiritual truth is found in these precious words of the Lord.

[23] Ibid., II, p. 343.

[24] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 803.

[25] Many years of further study have convinced this author that John wrote these words soon after they were spoken, perhaps as early as 30 A.D. See the introduction to Revelation. - James Burton Coffman