A Jot from John
15“I pray not that thou shouldest take them from (out of) the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from (out of the power of) the evil one” (John 17:15).
These prayerful words fell from the lips of the greatest man that ever lived; of the founder of the church; of the conqueror of the grave, even of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They were spoken the night before his death, concerning his disciples on earth. Of course, he knew what he was saying. But these words are not what some religious people would have expected. They would fancy that the Savior’s intercession would have been rather after this fashion: “I pray that thou shouldest take them from (out of) the world, that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one.”
But not so prayed the Son of God. Some people would fancy that the Master would rather have the disciples retire into walls of seclusion or into a lonely wilderness or into a desert place, and there, amid the solitude of nature, to remain unto the end; to meditate on spiritual things; to prepared their hearts for heaven. But so commanded not the Christ. We are thankful that he came, not to take men out of the world, but to teach them how to live in the world; not to pronounce work or business as irreligious, but to sanctify it and to ennoble it.
And that is exactly what Jesus did, by word and example, during the days of his flesh. Never by any word or deed did he lend encouragement to those people who would separate religion from the common acts of life. We know how he spent his time before he began the public ministry; that he spent it, not in desolate retirement, not in a lonely wilderness; but in company with his fellow-men, working with his hands, as other men work, as a carpenter in the village of Nazareth. And we know how he spent his time after he began the public ministry. There were periods of retirement when he prayed to the Father and refreshed his weary body, of course. But seldom was he alone. We find him with people – people who needed his word and his loving service. He “Went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” As a friend of man, he lived with man and for man.
By the power of his example, he taught us that we must live a life of usefulness; that, if we would follow him, we must not take ourselves out of the world, but to do our duty to the world – the world of people. How can you love your neighbor as yourself if you live the life of a hermit? How can you love your neighbor as yourself unless you can touch him and teach him? Of course, there should be periods of rest and retirement that powers may be renewed, but there is no virtue in withdrawing from humanity, in living in solitude, in living for self and self alone.
The hardened criminal should be isolated, so should the poor lunatic; but not the disciple of Christ. He is salt! He is light! He is leaven! As salt, he should touch that which should be preserved. As light, he should not be covered. He should shine “unto all that are in the house.” And as leaven, his influence should permeate the lump of society.
Onward Rejoicing, John B. Daniels, Associate Minister
