Sunday/Unity and Joy in the World
Disorder, sadness, despair; it is tempting to see the gospel today in terms of the modern world. Christ is talking to His Father and we, with the apostles, are listening in. What He talks about is unity, integration, which we must have with each other and with God. While we do not really belong in the material world, we are encouraged to live in it, with some caution.
"I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world."
But Christ is not talking about withdrawal, isolation. That very unity plays here too. Then he says something shocking:
"I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely."
His joy in the world!
Another name for the Devil in the Bible is "The Scatterer."
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