"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." John20:13-16
Whenever John uses the word John uses the word "World" in his gospel and his letters, he is almost always talking about a SYSTEM and not a physical place or location.
In his thinking, the "kosmos" is dominated by darkness, evil and Satan and is opposition to God.
Maybe today we would describe "kosmos" as rampant materialism. The folk at the Right Now Campaign have described "kosmos" as the "New American Dream" where "more", "mine" and "supersize" are the keywords.
The "kosmos" is a system - a system that places me and my pleasure at the centre.
In our passage Jesus is praying for us. He is talking to God and He indicates that He has lived _in_ the system and the system will soon crucify Him because He has not played by its rules. The system doesn't have room for those who do what God wants instead of "more", "mine" and "supersize."
Jesus wants us to be "IN" but not "OF" the world.
We are to be traders:
trading "more", "mine" and "supersize"
for "love", "serve" and "sacrifice."
It is a tough challenge - but Jesus has prayed (and continues to pray) for our protection.
Will you be a trader?
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
