That They May Be One

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:20-26, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

We now turn to the conclusion of Jesus' final prayer. Now it is more than a prayer for his immediate followers. It is a prayer for those who, through the work and witness of those followers, will in time come to believe. (In other words, it is a prayer for US!) As part of his messianic calling, Jesus knew that it was his task to accomplish something that would resonate out into all creation. In this way the whole world would know that the God of all the earth was indeed the God of Israel, who had fulfilled his plan to defeat the evil corrupting the world, through his anointed king and Messiah, Jesus.

As the great high priest, Jesus prays for those who will one day join the company of his followers—you and me. Once again, we can imagine the puzzled faces of Peter, James and John and the others around the table. Their plan for Jesus to become king of Israel had been very different. Nothing had turned out as they had supposed. Little do they know that they have an even worse shock in store on the next day, when they will see their master crucified. They still do not fully realize that this is the way in which they will be equipped as his heralds—ambassadors of the king—to go out into all the world.

So what does Jesus pray for the larger gathering of followers, those who will come to believe in him through the word of his disciples, including you and me today? He prays that they—that we—will all be one (verse 21). As we look around at the church today, we have to admit that this part of his prayer is still awaiting its full answer. From the very beginning the church struggled to maintain a difficult unity between Jews and Gentiles. There were divisions and arguments about what was proper and what was not proper as the church's mission spread. There were moments of unity (see Acts 2:42-47), but also moments of terrible division. And we, twenty centuries later, have seen even greater divisions—between East and West, between Catholic and Protestant, rich and poor, black and white, north and south. In our world today, there are approximately 38,000 Christian denominations—38,000 different groups of believers who couldn't get along with others! What an indictment!

As we find ourselves enfolded into the prayer of Jesus, reflecting on the shame of the cross and the grave of our Lord, we should pray and seek once more for the humility to say that ALL those who find salvation in Jesus Christ are our brothers and sisters. We should commit ourselves once more to finding ways of expressing that family relationship as fully as we can. It is no cheap or superficial unity that we seek—in verse 21 Jesus prays that the unity of his people may embody the unity that he had with the Father. It is a prayer that God will send the Spirit upon his people, to bind them into the inner life of the Trinity, with the result that the world will see and then believe. As it is, the world looks at the divisions in the church and mocks the differences between ideal and reality. If Christians came together across traditional barriers, even occasionally, the world would indeed see a different way of life, a way of glory, a way of love. Jesus has given the very glory of God to his followers, so that we may be one (verse 22). We, the church, must embody the God-ness of God, the self-giving love of God: "I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity" (verse 23).

And in this way the world will know love. Most of the time, people can easily belittle love, explaining it away as selfish, self-interested, mercenary. They find it hard to believe that there is such a thing as utter self-giving love, that is, in fact, the strongest force in the world. Jesus longs that his people may be immersed in this love, and so be able to share it with others. The love between God the Father and his Son is the most unique and precious thing in the world. It is the force through which the world was made, the force through which it is redeemed. The power of this love is now to be let loose in the world through those for whom Jesus has prayed.

In verses 25-26, the prayer comes to its still, central conclusion: at the moment the world does not know God, although Jesus knows God, and his followers know that Jesus was sent by God. Jesus has made God's name known to his followers, and will continue to make it known, as he pours out his Spirit on them. In this way, the love with which God has loved Jesus will be in them—will be in us. Through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus himself will be in them—will be in us. They—and we—will bring glory to God by witnessing to the world that there is a different way, the way of love, the way of self-giving.

As we reflect on this theme with still, patient hearts, let us join our own prayers with that of Jesus. Let us pray that he will be glorified through our witness. Above all, may we, with all God's people, find a way to be one, so that the world may believe. Our calling is nothing less than this, whatever it cost. This is how God will be glorified, and how will be known that he has loved Jesus, and in loving Jesus has loved us, and in loving us has loved the world.

PRAYER:

Father, may all your people be one, as you and Jesus are one. Show us the way to true unity, so that the world may know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that you are the God of everlasting love, whose compassion delights to redeem and restore. Strengthen us by your Spirit to proclaim the gospel of self-giving love with both our words and our lives.

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I am so incredibly blessed to be the father of this handsome little dude. Benjamin is a remarkable boy, resilient and strong-willed. He's very tenderhearted, loving to snuggle with those in whose arms he feels secure. He's a gentle big brother who constantly watches over his little sister, delighting to make her laugh and teach her knew tricks. I often find myself marveling at his sweet demeanor and his willingness to help and serve. It genuinely brings him joy to help around the house—cleaning up toys, clearing the dinner table, helping dad move the sprinklers, etc. Just about anything we ask him to do, he does it with gusto and a skip in his step. As with all little kids, we occasionally see little "devil horns" appear on his head, but those days are beginning to be few and far between. Thanks be to God for his redeeming grace! And thanks be to God for bringing Benjamin into our lives! I feel so blessed to call him "son."