There are three contrasts here: “in me” is contrasted with “in this world”; “you may have” with “you will have”; and “peace” is set against “trouble.”

Note that the whole purpose of Jesus telling them the things He has spoken is not that they might come to a greater knowledge of the doctrine of the Holy Spirt, nor that they would even know His mission more fully; His whole reason for saying these things was for them to have peace after they fall (Eze 34:12). Note that He predicted their desertion of Him in the same saying in which He assured them of the peace He would give them afterward. He knew their failure; He knew that they were going to let Him down just when He needed them the most; and yet He loved them despite their shortcomings. Perhaps even more wonderful than that revelation is that in spite of His complete knowledge of them and the failure they were about to be a part of, He still trusted them! And the same is true of us today! He knows that we will screw up; He knows our failures of the past and the future, and yet He still loves us and trusts us!

Ezekiel 34:12  As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

This is also a lesson for us in how we deal with others. It is often easier to forgive someone than to trust them after they have let us down. But Jesus does that with us and wants us to treat others in the same way.

Jesus was in full knowledge of what lay ahead of Him and yet He did not look upon men’s sin with the view of how much it was going to hurt Him, but, instead, of how much their sin was going to hurt them. If only we could have the same attitude when others sin against us!

“overcome” = nikao = to conquer. This word speaks of the victory of a way or battle and is in the perfect tense which indicates an abiding victory. Morris notes that “This statement, spoken as it is in the shadow of the cross, is audacious. The cross would seem to the outsider to be Christ’s total defeat. He sees it as His complete victory over all that the world is and can do to Him. He goes to the cross not in fear and gloom, but as a conqueror.”

Since Jesus has conquered the world and its evil prince, we are to be of good cheer, even in the face of trials and tribulation (Rom 5:3, 1 Thes 5:18). How does His conquering make this possible? Because His victory is our victory. From our viewpoint it seems that we are a small band going against a vast multitude of an army, but in truth we are in Him and He is the One going against an army that He has aleady defeated and which is now weaponless because of the cross. We are more than conquerors through Him (Rom 8:37) and all we need do in the face of any trial is faithfully rest in Him (1 John 5:4).

Romans 5:3  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

1 Thessalonians 5:18  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

1 John 5:4  for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.