¹⁶ “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

Jesus was not of this world. He certainly did not run lock-step with the Jewish world. Yes, that was the world He lived in. Born to a humble Jewish woman, the circumstances of that birth were anything but usual. Prophetically anticipated, the Bible teaches us that He was virgin-born. At twelve years of age, He was instructing the learned men of Israel. The miracles, teachings and His impeccable life, made Him stand out as not just unusual, but left people with only two choices. Either He was the Messiah, God in the flesh – or He was a blasphemer of the worst kind. A few came to see Him as the former and worshipped Him, the majority saw Him as the latter and rejected Him. He was not “of” that world.

When the prevailing righteousness was to condemn a woman caught in adultery, He sided with the woman against her hypocritical accusers. He was not “of” that world. He allowed His disciples to pick grain to eat on the Sabbath, going against the prevailing interpretation of the Mosaic laws. He willingly forgave sins, when others would not or could not. He accepted interactions with women and Samaritans. He healed non-Jews and proclaimed them, at times, more faithful than His Jewish countrymen. He was not “of” that world.

In the end, the world rejected Him, because He was not one of them. Tortured, mocked and shamed. Hung on a cross, which according to that world meant complete rejection by humans, and cursing by God.

Today, Christians need to remind ourselves that we, too, are not of this world. We are sojourners, just passing through, as it were. We are on temporary assignment, until we are called home to where we really belong. But, if we are living like Christ as His followers, we must be aware that the world will not accept us, because we are not “of” this world. To be sure, we need to be good neighbors, showing God’s love and kindness to all around us. But there is an innate rejection that the world has for us, no matter how hard we try to win them over by our love and acceptance. For it is not us that they reject, but Christ. And He was the perfect human being, perfect in love and acceptance of sinners—yet He was still rejected.

Thus, in Jesus’ Upper Room prayer, He makes it clear that despite all this, we are left here for a purpose, and we need protection, not from the world’s rejection, but from the evil one (vs. 15). The one who can tempt us to doubt God’s purpose in our lives here on earth, to knock us off that mission.

Lord, lead us not into temptation and protect us from the tempter. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.