Nobody Knows
These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NASB
Tribulation – “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody knows but Jesus.” The lyrics of this Negro spiritual could have come from a verse like this one. Yeshua doesn’t make light of the difficulties we encounter, but he claims that something significant has occurred that changes the outlook. Before we discover what that change is, we need to understand exactly what he means by the Greek term thlípsis. Of course, he wasn’t speaking Greek, so we will have to backtrack a bit through the LXX to see what Hebrew word he might have used. One of those possibilities is ṣārar, a verb that means “to bind, be narrow, be in distress.” It is used of physically narrow places, but figuratively it means “the strong emotional response that one experiences when pressed externally by enemies or internally by wrong decisions or passions.”[1] Like most Hebrew terms, it’s tied to actual experience, not theory. If this is the term Yeshua used, then the LXX helps us understand the scope of the Greek.
The theologically significant figurative use is common in the LXX for various Hebrew terms meaning a. “to distress,” b. “to treat with hostility,” c. “to afflict,” d. “to oppress,” and e. “to harass,” “be hostile to,” and even “destroy,” or, in the case of the noun, a. “trouble,” b. “distress,” c. “oppression,” “tribulation,” etc. 2. Both internal and external afflictions are in view, the former covering both distress and anxiety, the latter the afflictions of slaves or aliens, oppression by enemies, and such troubles as illness, desert wandering, and shipwreck. [2]
Notice that we are not talking about temptation as tribulation. While the world may offer a multitude of temptations, and succumbing to them may bring distress, what Yeshua has in mind is pressure from hostile forces, not the inner workings of the yetzer ha’ra. His perspective is cosmic, not personal. The result has personal application but the answer isn’t a matter of inner psychology. The fact is that the world will, absolutely, give you pressure. Conformity to an anti-divine lifestyle, relaxation of Torah standards, rejection from others, exclusion—the list goes on. You and I know what these pressures are because they are common to followers of the Messiah. But here’s the good news: it’s expected! There’s nothing unusual here, nothing aimed precisely at you! You may bear the brunt of the world’s hostility, but that’s merely a byproduct of the world’s rejection of God. So, don’t be surprised—and, don’t be discouraged.
Why? Because on a cosmic scale the battle is over. Death has been defeated. No matter what happens from this point forward, the lot has already been cast and the real enemy has been defeated. nikáō applies. What is that? Victory! Palpable success achieved by action. When you find yourself in the midst of pressure, Yeshua says, “Remember! And act accordingly.”
Topical Index: thlípsis, pressure, trouble, tribulation, ṣārar, nikáō, victory, John 16:33
[1] Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., Jr., & Waltke, B. K. (Eds.). (1999). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 778). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (p. 334). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
