Jesus prays for his disciples

John 17:6-12

I have told these men all about you. They were in the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always yours, and you gave them to me; and they have obeyed you. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the commands you gave me; and they accepted them and know of a certainty that I came down to earth from you, and they believe you sent me.

“My plea is not for the world but for those you have given me because they belong to you. And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you; and you have given them back to me with everything else of yours, and so they are my glory! Now I am leaving the world, and leaving them behind, and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your own care—all those you have given me—so that they will be united just as we are, with none missing. During my time here I have kept safe within your family all of these you gave me. I guarded them so that not one perished, except the son of hell, as the Scriptures foretold.”

Judas was “the son of hell,” who was lost because he betrayed Jesus (see Psalm 41:9).

In the World

Like Jesus’ original disciples, we still live in the world. “The world” is a system of values typified by Satan himself, centered on power, deceit, and self-will. While we’re in the world, Satan wants to neutralize or destroy us. As Jesus’ disciples today, we are on a collision course with the world’s values; therefore, we need God’s protection. The fact that we are in the world does not grant us license to become of the world. We must not betray Jesus by loving the world. We must be sure that we allow Christ—not the media and the world around us—to define who we are.