Thoughts on the Gospel of John (169)
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17:14–16
Thoughts on the Gospel of John (169)
Jesus’ care for His disciples was unique. During the three and a half years they were together, He had kept them and protected them. He had taken special care of their hearts. In addition, He had also given them “His word” – the word from the Father and about the Father. Thus, the disciples were able to know the Father Himself and His thoughts and intentions concerning His Son and His children.
Are we surprised that the world hates Jesus’ disciples? After all, they are intimately connected with their Lord. He was hated by the world because He was not of it. There was nothing in common between Him and the world. He was only a stranger here; His motives and His way of life were totally foreign to the world. The disciples are in the same position as their Master! They know God as their Father, they have and know His Word, and they can count on His fatherly care. Even the joy of Jesus is their joy. But they are also rejected and despised like their Master because they are not “of the world”.
If Jesus’ disciples are strangers in this world, why doesn’t the heavenly Father take them to Himself right away? The time will undoubtedly come when believers will be taken up to heaven. But until then they still have a task: they are “messengers” for Christ. How important, therefore, that believers are kept from evil so that they bear a credible witness. In this way they are preserved by the Father Himself, for no one else would be able to do this.
Today’s reading: Ezekiel 42:1-20 · Psalms 143:1-12
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