“They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” These words are part of the great prayer that Jesus lifts to the Father on behalf of the disciples at the end of the Last Supper, only a few short hours before he is arrested and begins his passion. In the first part of the prayer, Jesus speaks of having been given the authority, through the Father, to give eternal life to all whom the Father has given him, so that they might know the Father as the one true God, and that he is the Father’s Son.
Jesus then asks the Father to watch over and to protect the disciples (us) and to keep them (us) in his name…” So that they may be one just as we are one” (Jn. 17: 11). “That they may be one, just as we are one.” Those words deserved repeating, especially now in our time. And here is why. Jesus is the way (the only way), the truth (The fullness of truth), and the life (eternal life). He alone has the power to bring us together as one, just as he and the Father are one. Jesus also knew that, because the disciples would still be in the world, they would need the Father’s protection. Of this he says, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world” (v. 14).
That is as true now as it was then. The words of the Father came to us through Jesus. His Word is of a different order than the words of the world. Unlike the words of the world that are often malleable, distorted, misused for selfish, unjust, or even evil purposes, the words of the Father are words of unchanging, infinite, and transcendent wisdom, beauty, and truth. The words of the world all too often lead to cruelty, hatred, violence, fear, suffering, and death. But the words of the Father are the words of unity and life, that is, eternal life.
The powerful forces of the world listed above, from cruelty to death and everything in between, despite their bravado, are not the most powerful forces. We know a greater power now, the power of love, God’s infinite, generous, compassionate, and forgiving love. We know this because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ victory over sin and death, we know that the kingdom of God has broken the kingdoms of the world, that its light has shown all of the false powers of the world for what they really are.
It was for this reason that Jesus prayed to the Father on our behalf, asking not that he take us out of the world, but that the Father would protect us from the evil one. (v. 15). Jesus knew he was leaving the disciples and they would need the Father’s protection and his ‘word of truth’ because, “They (we) do not belong to the world [any more], just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word of truth” (v.17). We who are the disciples of Christ today are certainly in the world, but we are not to be of the world. And this has consequences.
We are witnesses every day to the words and ways of the world and their consequences: cruelty, hatred, violence, fear, suffering, and death. We see those in high places, in the seats of power, who willingly and consciously use and distort the word of God (Scripture) for the promotion of worldly interests, for worldly purposes. If we are not well formed in conscience and in the faith, by and through the word of God; if we do not reflect on the word of God, and pray with it regularly, we can be easily led astray by the ‘words of the world’, as they can cleverly and consciously make themselves appear to be true and good. In reality, the clever, worldly manipulations of words and their meaning, all too often, hide much darker intentions. The light of God’s Word reveals those worldly words for what they really are. Remember, we are [IN] the world, but we are not to be [OF] the world.
The words of the world so often attempt to give a kind of divine claim to worldly things like the self, the group, or a particular political party. This is the temptation that the evil one attempted on Jesus at the end of his forty days in the desert. The consequences of such words are readily seen in the artificial, prejudicial, or ideological divisions we see in society, even in the Church. These are often accompanied by prideful claims of superiority that lead to unjust judgments and actions toward those who are not “like us.” When we see these divisions, we should sense in them the smokescreen of the evil one. Remember that Jesus’ prayer is that we all be one, just as he and the Father are one.
Wherever this behavior is seen and felt, in society, or in the Church, know that it is of the world, not of God. But do not be afraid, for we have the promised protection of the Father, the example of Jesus, and the grace of the Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom to discern and to avoid the false words of the world. And know that, when we need it, when the world hates us and attacks us, the Spirit will give us the graces we need to speak and to live in accord with the Word of God openly, courageously, and joyfully, even in the face of suffering and sacrifice. The world hates the word of God, but the Love of God is a power far greater than that of the world. It is only in the truth of God’s word that we can become one with one another.
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