John 17

Welcome back everybody!  This is day 17 and chapter 17 of our challenge.  If you have made it this far, go ahead and give yourselves a pat on the back AND don't forget to let me know if you are tracking with us.  I would love to know how being in the word for these 17days has impacted you. 
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who knew they were going to die?  It is a pretty somber thing.  When you've had those conversations or if you do in the future, you know that those last moments are sacred.  The individual that has their end in mind, has a totally different outlook on the world than you or I do.  They will talk about the things that are of the utmost importance.  Not the weather, latest reality T.V. show or who is going to win the Superbowl.  Nope, they will talk about the things that are nearest to their hearts.  This is what Jesus is doing in this chapter.  The very next chapter in John, Jesus will be betrayed and delivered into the hands of evil men.

Jesus knows this, He even says "the hour has come"!  If you remember, in previous chapters Jesus has said "my hour has not yet come." Jesus knows that the time to die for the sins of the world, and to glorify the Father's name through the crucifixion and resurrection, has come.  Remember, that Jesus is not surprised by this act of treason, He is not a victim but that He willingly lays down His life for His people and He does it with joy (John 10:11-15; John 15:13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 John 3:16).  This one act will give eternal life for all of those who believe and a close relationship with God (v2-3).

I love the following verses in this chapter.  Jesus, knowing He is going to the cross (a fate that is reserved for murderers, thieves and insurrectionists), prays for His disciples.  He is others focused!  He shows that He is thankful for their belief in Him (v6-8) and that they would stay in God's name (v11).  Jesus repeatedly in this chapter asks God to keep them from "the evil one" or to remain in God's will.  To accomplish this, He isn't asking that they be isolated from people that aren't Christ followers or to treat those people as less than human, He asks that they stay "in the world but not of it" (v15).  He wants His followers to be people of the truth but also relational and loving toward the outside world.  He asks this not only of His 12 but also on behalf of all of those who will follow Him afterwards (v20). 

This is a great reminder that God wants a few things from us when we follow Jesus.  He wants us to be people of the truth.  The truth is what God has given us in Scripture.  It is not just knowing a bunch of facts about the Bible or storing up knowledge for the purpose of knowing it BUT instead it is knowing and living it out (James 1:22).  It doesn't just end there though.  If you are someone who lives out the truth in Scripture, you will want to be around those who don't know Him. Not for the purpose of condemning them, not for the purpose of showing everyone what a good person you are but because you love them and want them to know the same joy that you know.  Pretty cool that Jesus has this in mind in His final moments right?  How are you doing in being person in the world but not of it?

Cool Facts:

The concept of "my hour has not yet come" appears several times before this chapter in John (John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 16:32).

Jesus mentions in v5 that He wants the Father and Himself to be glorified in the same manner that they were before the existence of the world.  This shows that Jesus existed before His earthly ministry here and that He existed before the world even began (Colossians 1:15-17; 1 Peter 1:20)!