Worlds Apart – John 17: 16

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

By my count, the word “world” is used fifty-seven times in John’s gospel alone. Fifty-seven! When Jesus uses the term it seems to mean something different than when us earthlings use the term. In today’s verse, Jesus once again refers to the world as something apart from the … world.

What do I mean by the world being apart from the world?

The way Jesus uses the word, the disciples are not part of the world. Yet we know that from a human perspective that until they died they still lived in the world. In yesterday’s verse, Jesus says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” So Jesus uses the word “world” two mean two different things. One world they remain a part of, the other world they are not part of. Or as Jesus puts it, they are “not of the world.”

As usual, Jesus grammar is telling. He sees things differently than the rest of us humans. What does he mean, “…not of the world?”

In the early 1970s, I traveled with a group to Europe, and part of the trip included a stay in West Berlin. The Berlin Wall still separated the east from the west in those days, and culturally it was an amazing difference. Where West Berlin was a bustling modern city with cars, people, lights and activity everywhere, East Berlin was like a graveyard. The buildings looked like lifeless headstones and the only people we saw in the streets wore military uniforms, walked in lockstep and carried guns.

The government of the Soviet Union at that time was Communist. While in theory communism is built on the ideal of a community, in practice it means that the masses must conform to the wishes of the few who are in power. To be a true communist meant that you supported this system and believed that it was the best system of government in the world. Interestingly, there were a lot of people who lived there who did not believe in communism. Many people lost their lives trying to break out of East Germany so they could enjoy the freedom of the West. Some escaped but most remained. They were unhappy, oppressed, enslaved. They were in a communist culture but they were not part of it. To use Jesus’ expression, they were not “of the” communists.

Perhaps what Jesus was referring to was the social world that people lived in. The way people thought, the way that they lived and the values they held. After three years with Jesus, his disciples had made a choice. They chose Jesus. In making that choice they also chose not to be a part of the world that is ruled by sin. Instead, they chose to accept the free gift of life that is Jesus Christ. You, too, can have this free gift from God. Talk to Jesus. Tell him you believe and want to escape the “world” of hate, jealousy, envy, rage, pain, doubt and ultimately death. Tell him you want to live. He would love to hear from you.

Food for Thought: How do you tell which “world” you are a part of?