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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>In v.
15, the verb is αἴρω (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>airō</span></font></i></em>,)
= “to take”. In this case, <em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:
Arial'>kosmos</span></font></i></em> may again mean the “surface of the earth”
and ἐκ (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>ek</span></font></i></em>)
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.) <em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>kosmos</span></font></i></em>
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.<br>
<br>
THE THIRD preposition is <strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:
Arial'>εἰς (</span></font></b></strong><em><b><i><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>eis</span></font></i></b></em><strong><b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>)</span></font></b></strong> (17:18,
18) = “<strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>into</span></font></b></strong>
the world”. Usually this preposition indicates movement “into” or “towards”
something. Like ἐν (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>en</span></font></i></em>)
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.)<br>
<br>
Wes Howard-Brook (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>Becoming
Children of God</span></font></i></em>) makes some comments related to these
prepositions.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>“... [the disciples’] mission is <em><i><font
face="Times New Roman">in</font></i></em> the world, but their allegiance is
to God, <em><i><font face="Times New Roman">not</font></i></em> to the world.
(p. 365)”<br>
<br>
“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)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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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).<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
KEPT (PROTECTED) & GUARDED PEOPLE<br>
<br>
Three times in our verses, Jesus asks God to “keep/protect” them/us (vv. 11,
12, 15). This word τηρέω (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:
Arial'>tēreō</span></font></i></em>) 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 (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>phylassō</span></font></i></em>)
is used in v. 12, which like our word “guard” can refer to imprisonment.<br>
<br>
Do we want to be “kept” or “guarded”? I’ve seen more than a handful of toddlers
who did not like being <strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:
Arial'>kept</span></font></b></strong> 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.<br>
<br>
“Kept in your name” (vv. 11, 12) would seem to refer to “causing one to
continue in relationship with God.” (ἐν <em><i><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial'>en</span></font></i></em> 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.)<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
“Kept from the evil (one)” (v. 15) would seem to refer to “causing one to
continue to be separated from the evil (one).” (ἐκ<em><i><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial'>ek</span></font></i></em> 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.<br>
<br>
“HOLY FATHER”<br>
<br>
Wes Howard-Brook (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>Becoming
Children of God</span></font></i></em>) 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)<br>
<br>
SANCTIFICATION = BEING WEIRD<br>
<br>
“You’re weird,” the other person said. I didn’t get angry. I smiled and said,
“Thank you!”<br>
<br>
“You’re even weirder than I thought!” was the reply.<br>
<br>
(Such conversations have happened more than once with me. Hmmm. I wonder what
that might mean.)<br>
<br>
Can “being weird” be similar to “being sanctified”? I think so.<br>
<br>
ἁγιάζω (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>hagiazō</span></font></i></em>)
is the verbal form of the adjective ἅγιος (<em><i><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial'>hagios</span></font></i></em>) = “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.<br>
<br>
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 (<em><i><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>hagiazō</span></font></i></em>).
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
(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.<br>
<br>
(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.<br>
<br>
I used the following paragraphs in a sermon I entitled, “Really Weird”:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>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.<br>
<br>
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.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.”</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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