God’s Word marks us as God’s
John 17:13-19
13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.
In this second part of this prayer for the disciples who are with him in the upper room Jesus looks ahead to what they will experience after he has gone, and in many ways his prayer for them speaks very directly to our situation as well.
Jesus’ words are the source of joy for the follower of Jesus Christ, and it is that joy at Jesus’ words that proves to the world that the followers of Jesus are not part of the world. Adherence to Jesus’ words puts his followers at odds with the world, for the powers of this world have been bent by Satan to bring destruction and despair.
Jesus did not belong to this world, so it is not surprising that his followers do not belong to the world either. But unlike Jesus who was soon going to be returning to the Father, that is leaving this world, Jesus’ followers were going to be staying. In fact, Jesus states explicitly that he is not asking that they be taken out of this world. Jesus’ followers will stay in the world, Jesus asks that they be protected, the protection of being sanctified by the truth (the word) God speaks in the world.
And we have come full circle, Jesus’ words (which are God’s words) are the source of joy for his followers, and they are also the source of protection (of staying spiritual in tune with God.) To be sanctified is to be made holy, to be marked as belonging to God, living out the words of Jesus (the words of God) is to be marked as a follower of God and not a follower of the world.
PRAYER:
God of grace, we thank you for your words which mark us as yours, use them to etch your name into our lives so that we would look and sound like your children, following the ways of Jesus Christ, your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.