13“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. 14I 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. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17:13-19)
Thoughts: Jesus makes Himself holy that we might be made holy. The truth makes Jesus holy in the midst of an evil world. He will later tell Pilate this. Pilate will respond, "What is truth." Jesus prays that God will protect us from the evil one- the father of lies- by truth. Truth- the truth of Jesus is our protection from evil, hurt, and harm. A pure heart and a mind focused on truth keep us from straying off the narrow path or rebelling against the King of truth.
Prayer: Lord, make me wholy yours- truly yours. Make me holy with your truth which fills me with purpose, hope, faith, and love.
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. (John 17:17-18)
Thoughts: Jesus prayed this prayer- that God would make us holy, or make us more like Him by, through, and in His Word. So if we want to be like Jesus- we do not do this apart from what He has said, but we listen to what He has said. There is a sense in which Jesus is the living Word (John 1), but Jesus apparently was talking about the Bible here. The Bible is not inconsistent with Jesus- but points to and tells us of Jesus. The gospels are as close to eyewitness testimonies as we can get, written while many other eyewitnesses were still alive. In this passage, Jesus is inferring that we can trust the Bible of the Old Testament to not lead us astray. In fact, His prayer is that God would make us a more holy people by listening to it- and doing what it says. Paul talks about the Church being "washed by the water of the Word." It is the same idea- that the Word purifies us, making us better- even holy. The holiness of the Church is not found in our being pure in this life- but in the eternal Word which makes us pure. The Holy Spirit takes the Holy Word and makes us holy.
Prayer: Sanctify me, Lord, by your truth. Your Word is truth.
