John 17:15-17 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (16) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (17) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
As Jesus is closing out the session in the upper room with his apostles just hours before his death, Jesus offers a prayer. The words of today’s text are a continuation of that prayer, as it has been the last few days.
Jesus’ prayer comes down to a single word: Protection! Look at Jesus first statement in verse 15. He says, He is not praying that God takes them out of the world. Why would he make such a statement? Because just prior to that this he informs them that they will be hated because the world hated him. So what is the first, natural reaction to persecution? ESCAPE! Get out of there! But Jesus specifically is praying that He is NOT asking God to remove them from the upcoming situation of immense persecution. In fact, we know from church history that most of them will eventually die by violent means. So if they are going to be hated, and the persecution will get so bad, why not just pray that God removes them from the situation? Because it is through THEM that the gospel will be spread throughout the world.
So what does Jesus desire and inquire for them? To be kept from evil! What evil is Jesus wanting them to be protected from? Physical? Maybe to some degree. But that is not Jesus’ primary concern. Jesus is primarily desiring that they are kept from the evils that could lead them away from God and their mission. And that is the basis for his last statement in verse 17.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Set them apart, Jesus says through or by the truth. That is our ultimate protection against evil as well. If we gravitate towards living by the word of God, we will naturally be protecting ourselves from the evils that can destroy us.
We are to be of this world, but we cannot be influenced by and molded by this world. Instead, we MUST be set apart. We must think, act, behave, and develop our lifestyles by the word of God.
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