Jesus' form of address to God, “Holy Father,” is unique. It is only found once in John's Gospel. It combines reference to God's transcendence (holy) and Jesus' intimacy with God (Father).
To be holy means to be set apart. Jesus addresses the Father as ‘holy' (vs 11) and declares that he is setting himself apart so that the disciples too may be set
apart.
In our context, to be holy often gives the sense of being overly pious and righteous, but this understanding was foreign to Jesus' context. In first-century Judaism, ‘holiness' called to mind the Temple in particular. It was the holy place where the holy God had promised to live. It referred mainly to the Holy of Holies, the innermost shrine, where the high priest would go once a year to make atonement for the people. The high priest was set apart so
that he could enter the holy God's presence and pray there for his people.
In the same way, Jesus declares that his people have been “set apart” for God's service. Now, like the high priest, he asks the Father to preserve his people from evil, from the tricks and traps of “the world.” He wants them to be his holy people in the best and fullest sense.
God’s people are called to be holy, to be set apart to carry on Jesus'
ministry in the world after his departure. Jesus sent them into the world to do likewise, as the Father sent him.
How does Jesus’ term for God, Holy Father, develop your understanding of the image of God? How can we set ourselves apart from the world and become holy as we continue Jesus’ mission?
Reflections by Rev Joe Taylor
