John 17:6-19
"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world.' John 17: 14
We move to the final stages of Jesus "high priestly prayer" for today's text.
John's gospel lacks the drama of the Garden of Gethsemane prayers. John's more reflective gospel reveals nothing of the agony that is seen in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). The passage under consideration today reveals an attitude of acceptance and commitment that overrides personal feelings.
Jesus is "no longer in the world" (v 11) and does "not belong to the world" (vv 14,16). That which is to be faced does not trouble him - for while he lives and move on earth it does not own him and has no claim=m on him. He does not belong to it; it belongs to him.
And his disciples do not belong to the world either - and for them (and for us) Jesus asks protection. Just as opposition came to Jesus because of who he was, what he did, and what he taught, so too it would be the lot of the followers of Jesus to experience opposition, hatred and persecution.
Too many of us are caught up in the stuff that happens around act and us as though we 'belong' here, as if the world is to be our permanent home. We make our alliances, garner our resources, and feather our nests. We do our best to make sure we are OK, and plan for a long and healthy and hopefully prosperous life. As people who do not belong in this world we develop some remarkably strong attachment to a temporary home.
Maybe it is time to revisit our priorities and decide where we really belong.
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