Jesus was not a revolutionary, though He is sometimes portrayed as one. It is true that the Christian understanding of God and of the human person has profoundly shaped social order, and that modern Western democracies would be unthinkable without it. Yet at the heart of Christianity lies neither the building of a new social order nor the dismantling of the old. As Saint Peter says: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors. Honour the king.”

Christ is our Shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for us—so that our guilt might be erased, our sins forgiven, and that we might be redeemed and saved. We have been bought at a great price—the blood of the Son of God—by which, having been cleansed, we may walk in newness of life.

Through His self-sacrificing love, Christ has left us an example: we “should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him who judgeth righteously.”

What does “overcome the world” mean? When the New Testament speaks of the world, it refers to two things. First, it denotes God’s wondrous creation—the magnificent cosmos that includes our own beautiful planet as well as the entire universe. Second, it refers to what may be called the godless world: all those who are subject to the power of sin, evil, and death.

When Saint John says, “whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world,” he is speaking of the latter—the godless world that lies under the dominion of sin, evil, and death. Thus, to “overcome the world” means to gain victory over sin, evil, and death.

“Thank you for the question. Since Christ’s resurrection, we are doing very well!” This was a bishop’s reply when he was asked how he and the Church were doing. On the one hand, this might seem like an evasion of the question; on the other hand, this is exactly so: despite everything that may trouble us and cause confusion—of which there is an abundance in today’s world—we are well, because Christ has risen from the dead.

Jesus entered Jerusalem as King. Saint Paul likens this to a triumphal procession in which we also take part: “Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.” Christ is a victorious King—yet He wins not by violence, but through humility, meekness, and gentleness. He is not a king of war, but the King of peace.