[Propertalk] FW: Gospel Notes - John 17:6-19 (Brian Stoffregen) - Part 2

[Joe Parrish]

In v. 15, the verb is αἴρω (airō,) = “to take”. In this case, kosmos may again mean the “surface of the earth” and ἐκ (ek) means “dissociation from”. Jesus does not ask God to remove us from this planet. (Perhaps a comment about the Heaven’s Gate or other cults could be made here.) kosmos may mean the “people of the world,” who are estranged from God. In this case, Jesus does not ask God to remove us from sinful society, e.g., seeking to form Christian utopias. In conjunction with the preceding paragraph, we are separated from the “people of the world” in terms of the source of our behaviors and self-identity, but we are not separated from the “people of the world” in terms of physical proximity. We continue to live next door to them.

THE THIRD preposition is εἰς (eis) (17:18, 18) = “into the world”. Usually this preposition indicates movement “into” or “towards” something. Like ἐν (en) it can also mean “a position on the surface of an area.” So the phrase could mean that God sent Jesus and sends us to planet earth—this is the place of our ministry, perhaps in contrast to those who are “So heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.” The phrase could also mean that God sent Jesus and sends us “into” or among the “people of the world.” Not only does God not take us away from “these people,” God sends us to them! (When we realize what happened when God sent Jesus to them, this is not a comforting word—but there was/is resurrection.)

Wes Howard-Brook (Becoming Children of God) makes some comments related to these prepositions.


 

“... [the disciples’] mission is in the world, but their allegiance is to God, not to the world. (p. 365)”

“The Johannine community is called to walk the knife’s edge between these relatively easy options: to remain in the world but not of it.” (p. 366)


My comment: the easy ways are to be in the world and of it (I think the Sadducees tried that) or to be out of the world and not of it (which is what the Essenes did).

Or, on a more personal level, how do we as pastors remain “one of the common people” but also “self-differentiated” from them because of our “set-apart” office? I think that the same knife-edge is walked by any congregational leader. Being in a position of leadership means being set apart = different from the common member.

KEPT (PROTECTED) & GUARDED PEOPLE

Three times in our verses, Jesus asks God to “keep/protect” them/us (vv. 11, 12, 15). This word τηρέω (tēreō) is frequently used of “keeping” God’s word or commandments (8:51, 52, 55; 14:15, 21, 23, 24; 15:10, 20; 17:6). A nearly synonymous word φυλάσσω (phylassō) is used in v. 12, which like our word “guard” can refer to imprisonment.

Do we want to be “kept” or “guarded”? I’ve seen more than a handful of toddlers who did not like being kept in a car seat; and a number of adults who rebel against the protection of wearing motorcycle helmets or seat belts because they are too restrictive. Even though such actions are for their own safety, they don’t like it. They scream out against such “protective” measures. Could our rebellion from what may be good and safe for us be part of our original sin? We don’t want to be kept or guarded—even if it is for our own good.

“Kept in your name” (vv. 11, 12) would seem to refer to “causing one to continue in relationship with God.” (ἐν en in this phrase would seem to indicate a “close personal association.”) During his stay on earth, Jesus kept his followers in this state. Now that is leaving, he asks God to cause the relationship to continue. Jesus entrusts the community’s life to God. (You’re in good hands with All-Mighty.)

If this prayer is answered, then it implies a unity among all believers, because all share the same relationship with God—a relationship that is not created by us, but by God. We are all in God’s good hands.

“Kept from the evil (one)” (v. 15) would seem to refer to “causing one to continue to be separated from the evil (one).” (ἐκek in this phrase would seem to indicate “dissociation from.”) Considering the amount of trouble we get into, how much worse might it be if God weren’t keeping us from the evil (one)? I know that I have been in situations where I believe God’s hand was protecting me from falling into temptations that were placed before me.

“HOLY FATHER”

Wes Howard-Brook (Becoming Children of God) notes that John 17:11b “is the only place in the bible that God is addressed or described in this way, although the Lord’s Prayer tradition includes the idea of the Father’s holy name (Mt 6:9; Lk 11:2). But whereas the synoptics use the notion to proclaiming the coming of the kingdom, the Johannine Jesus’ purpose is the unity of the disciples.” (p. 364)

SANCTIFICATION = BEING WEIRD

“You’re weird,” the other person said. I didn’t get angry. I smiled and said, “Thank you!”

“You’re even weirder than I thought!” was the reply.

(Such conversations have happened more than once with me. Hmmm. I wonder what that might mean.)

Can “being weird” be similar to “being sanctified”? I think so.

ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) is the verbal form of the adjective ἅγιος (hagios) = “holy”. Holy things or people were separated from the normal use for special, religious use. A holy bowl might look just like a normal bowl, but it was separated from normal use for special uses related to the worship of God. A holy person looks just like a normal person, but he or she is separated from “normal” people for special, religious activities. Holy things and people were the same as normal things and people, but kind of different. “Kind of different from normal” sounds like a definition of “weird” to me.

Weird people don’t always fit in. Related to what I said earlier, Jesus indicates that we do not belong to the world—we are not to be like the people of the world. We are to be different. The people of the world will hate us. Why? It is not because of our superior moral lives. That is not the primary meaning of ἁγιάζω (hagiazō). In addition, it was with those who thought that they were “morally superior people” (Pharisees) that Jesus had the most trouble, especially as he, claiming to be God, established relationships with the morally inferior people (sinners). Holiness comes about through the relationship the Holy God establishes with us. Those who received holiness as a gift were at odds with those who worked hard to make themselves holy.

Note that in terms of our sanctification (or divine weirdness) God is the actor. Jesus prays that God would sanctify us (v. 17). (The passive in v. 19 would also imply that God is the one who is doing the sanctifying.) It is not something we do for ourselves. It comes from God. However, God’s means of sanctifying us is through the Word—or more specifically, the Truth from the Word. (We all know that the Word has been used to support Untruths.) In simplest terms, I would say that the Truth of the Word is that we are forgiven sinners, which implies two differences between us and the people of the world.

(1) We recognize and admit our sinfulness. We don’t have to cover up or rationalize our mistakes. We know that we are not gods. We don’t have to pretend to be more perfect or right than we are.

(2) We recognize and accept the fact that God has forgiven all our sins. We don’t have to wallow in our mistakes. We live in the freedom of forgiveness. Out of that freedom, we can respond with praise and love towards God, and with love and forgiveness towards other people. We have the freedom to be weird—different from people of the world—and to invite them to share in the weirdness that God gives.

I used the following paragraphs in a sermon I entitled, “Really Weird”:


 

There are right ways to be weird. There are times when being called weird is a compliment. The Truth declares that God has crowned every human being with glory and honor—not just you and your friends, but everyone. If God has crowned you with glory and honor, how can you belittle yourself? You are important to God. If God has crowned the person next to you or across the room or across town with glory and honor, how can you belittle them? They are also important to God. We treat ourselves and others with respect and care and love—because we know that that’s the way God treats us and others. If people call you weird because of that, it’s a compliment. You are being sanctified by the truth.

Being called “weird” is a compliment if it’s because you won’t go to parties where alcohol is served (for the youth) or abused (for adults). Being called “weird” is a compliment if it’s because you won’t use illegal drugs or abuse legal drugs. Being called “weird” is a compliment if it’s because you want to wait until marriage to be sexually involved. Being called “weird” is a compliment if it’s because you would rather go to church on Sunday morning than sleep in or to stay out too late on Saturday night. Being called “weird” is a compliment if it’s because you won’t shop-lift or steal or vandalize other’s property. Being called “weird” is a compliment if it’s because you honor and respect your father and mother—and want to do what they say—at least some of the time. Being called “weird” is a compliment if it’s because you are content not to go along with the crowd, because you know who you are and whose you are. You are Christians—children of God. You belong to God, not to the world. You don’t have to be like everyone else. You can dare to be different—not just to be different, but to be weird because you belong to God and not to the world.


Note, while many of the examples are moral behaviors, it is not the behaviors that are most significant, but the relationship with God and to each other that leads to the behaviors.

I think that sanctification can result with us being a bit weird—and being weird because of our relationship with God might be a concept more understandable to people than the phrase “being sanctified.”

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