Prayer for Unity
TRANSLATION
(20) “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, (21) that all of them may be one, just as you, Father, 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) And the glory you have given me I have given to them so that they may be one just as we are one, (23) I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and loved them just as you loved me.
(24) “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am to see the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (25) O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. (26) I made your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I myself may be in them.”
OBSERVATIONS
In this last segment of Jesus’ high priestly prayer, repetitions again help us grasp the gist of what the Son was asking the Father to do. Repeated words included “believe” (twice in vss. 20 & 21), “Father (three times in vss. 21, 24, & 25), “world” (four times in vss. 21, 23, 24, & 25), “glory” (twice in vss. 22 & 24), “know/made known” (six times in vss. 23, 25, & 26), and “love(d)” (five times in vss. 23, 24, & 26). One phrase that stands out above all others is “may be one,” (vss. 21 & 22) and its paraphrase “brought to complete unity” (vs. 23).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus prayed for the unity of those who would believe through the apostles’ testimony. (20-23)
II. Jesus also prayed that they might see his glory and experience the Father’s love. (24-26)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus prayed for the unity of all who would believe through the testimony of the disciples and that they would always be growing in their knowledge and love of the triune God.
APPLICATION
Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 is generally divided into three segments with three areas of focus. Jesus first prayed for the Father to glorify the Son (vss. 1-8). He then prayed for the protection of the apostles who would carry on the work when he had departed (vss. 9-19). Finally, he interceded for those who would believe through the testimony of the disciples, namely the church that would be established through their efforts (vss. 20-26). His prayer for the coming generations of believers was for them to experience the kind of unity that would enable them to give a powerful testimony to an unbelieving world (20-23) and for their receiving from the Father all they would need to enter into the loving fellowship of the triune God (24-26).
Was Jesus’ prayer for unity and godliness among those who would believe in the future ever answered? Some would argue that the history of Christianity has been a major disappointment when it comes to unity and love. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the Reformation, the existence of literally hundreds of splits and sects that have characterized the followers of Christ show that the church has been anything but unified and loving. We must admit that, on the macro level, this charge of discord is based on a rather sordid history. However, on the micro level, in small pockets spread through time and place, there have always been those whose lives have served as powerful testimonies to God’s grace and love. Despite the perversity of human nature and the power of sinful pride, there have been remarkable demonstrations of the unity to which Christ has called us. Christ’s intercessory prayer has been answered, not perfectly, but in part. Wherever followers of Jesus on a local scale are committed to loving him and to loving one another, his work has gone forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and continues to advance.