John 17:20-23
Near the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus prayed what is sometimes called His “High Priestly Prayer.” It because Jesus intercedes for His disciples, both present and future, in a priestly way. He shows His deep care for them and their well-being, as well as their mission in the world. It is quite a stunning prayer. First, Jesus prays that His disciples, both present and future, “may all be one” (v. 21). Then He compares their oneness to that unique unity Jesus shares with His Heavenly Father (vv. 21-23). Finally, Jesus prays that His disciples “may be brought to complete unity” (v. 23). We’re talking about serious oneness here! The unity of Christians is essential to our mission, according to Jesus. We are to be unified in God, Jesus prays, “so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” (v. 21). In other words, our unity testifies to the truth of the gospel. We see this same point being made in a slightly different way in Eph. 2. We learn that the death of Christ not only reconciles us to God but also to each other (Eph. 2:11-22). Then, in Eph. 3, we discover that the through the church the wisdom of God will be made known to the whole universe (Eph. 3:10). When we live as unified people, we bear witness to the unifying truth of the Gospel. The prayer of Jesus in John 17 makes one of the strongest biblical cases for the “can’t do it alone” principle. As Jesus envisions the church of the future, He sees unity among Christians as absolutely essential to our identity and our witness. In my experience, though the larger church of Christ is sadly disunified, the sort of unity Jesus envisions can happen in more intimate Christian fellowship, in healthy churches and committed small groups, in prayer partnerships and long-term friendships, in marriages and other family relationships. So, even if you don’t have much influence on the larger church, in the core relationships of your life you can seek to experience the unity for which Jesus once prayed. I think this sort of real-time, small-scale unity is necessary for all of us on the way to a more global oneness of the church. Whenever I read Jesus’s “High Priestly Prayer,” I feel led to examine my attitude toward the church and its unity. Do I help my own church to be more united through my words and actions? Or am I someone who easily sows seeds of disunity? Am I willing to build relationships with Christians who are not quite like me theologically, sociologically, racial-ethnically, or geographically? Am I someone who cherishes the unity of the church or do I tend to focus on ways in which Christians differ and disagree? Jesus’s prayer, with its striking request that all disciples of Jesus be unified, also challenges us to examine our own lives. Are we experiencing in our relationships the unity for which Jesus prayed? Are we helping our church to be more united and less divided? Are we living each day in the reality of the oneness we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Through our unity in a world full of divisions and divisiveness, may people see the reconciling truth of the gospel. May they be drawn to You, O God, because of our unity in You. Comments are closed.
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