John 17:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

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

NASB: They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

CSB: They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

NLT: They do not belong to this world any more than I do.

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

NKJV: They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

This repeats the same phrase Jesus used only moments before (John 17:14). In this context, the term "world" refers to the culture and belief system which rejects God and His authority (John 12:31; 1 Corinthians 2:12). Christians are not promised to be taken away from persecution and hardship (John 17:15), but only that God will be with us in those trials. As part of this, believers are expected to be "in" the world, but not "of" the world (1 Corinthians 5:9–10). We cannot bring truth to those who need to hear it unless we are present, engaging the people around us (Matthew 5:13–16; Romans 10:14–15).

That separation from the world's attitudes and thoughts (Colossians 1:13; Romans 12:2–3) earns hatred for faithful Christians (John 14:15). Simply by demonstrating that we honor God, not men, we make ourselves the target of anger and sinful rage (1 Peter 4:4; John 16:1–4).

John 17:6–19 continues the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, prior to crossing into the garden of Gethsemane. After asking God the Father to glorify Him, so He may glorify the Father, Jesus now prays for His disciples. Earlier passages included Jesus' warnings about persecution (John 16:1–4). His plea, here, is for the apostles' continued faith in the face of that hardship. While this passage has application for all Christians, the immediate subject is Jesus' immediate circle of closest disciples. After this, Jesus' prayer will continue with an emphasis on all future believers.

In this passage, known as the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus speaks to God about three main topics. First is Christ Himself, asking God the Father to glorify Him so He can glorify the Father. Next, Jesus prays for the faith and courage in His closest disciples. Finally, He prays for those who will come to faith because of the apostles' writing and teaching. This moment occurs before Jesus enters Gethsemane, where the other Gospels will record His final anguished prayers before being arrested (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46).

Over the last several chapters (John 13—16), Jesus has been giving last-minute instruction to His closest disciples. These lessons composed a large part of the Last Supper. Among those teachings were several warnings about persecution, with the encouragement of knowing the Holy Spirit would come. In chapter 17, we read Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, making requests on behalf of Himself, the apostles, and future believers. After this, Jesus will go into Gethsemane where Judas will turn Him over for arrest and His eventual execution.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/6/2024 7:40:25 AM