Make Them One

Scripture: John 17:13-26

¹³ But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

²⁰ “I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one. 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 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵ “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”

Questions

1. When Jesus talks about “the world” in this passage what does he mean?
2. What does it mean to be sanctified in the truth?
3. How can Christians live out Jesus’ prayer and be “completely one”, how can I help contribute to this?

Background

Related Scriptures: Romans 12; Revelation 7

Aphrahat: “Let us hate ourselves and love Christ as he loved us and gave himself up for our sakes. Let us honor the spirit of Christ that we may receive grace from him. Let us be strangers to the world, even as Christ was not of it. Let us be humble and mild that we may inherit the land of life. Let us be unflagging in his service that he may cause us to serve in the abode of the saints. Let us pray his prayer in purity that it may have access to the Lord of majesty. Let us be partakers in his suffering so that we may also rise up in his resurrection. Let us bear his sign on our bodies that we may be delivered from the wrath to come.”^[1]

The ”world” represents a system of living that is in conflict with how Jesus lived. It is not inherently a group of outsiders but the system of living. This means separation from the world is not separation from people but values.

Jesus’ prayer demonstrates that unity with God incorporates unity with one another.

Reflection

Jesus’ final prayer for his followers is that they would be as united to one another as he is united to the Father. By any definition this is a tall order, how are two sinful people supposed to be as united as God is with anyone let alone Jesus? And throughout the centuries this prayer seems to have fallen somewhat flat since there are thousands of denominations, and some adherents to these schools seem to have profound disagreements with one another. Is this truly evidence that we are divided? To some extent yes but simply because Christians appear divided does not always mean we are. Rather, we need to think about what Jesus’ prayer for unity means and how we can still live out this goal in our lives today despite our differences and denominations.

The first reality is that we need to keep in mind that no matter how much we try we will never fully agree on everything. We must be willing to allow other Christians the right to say, “I disagree” without getting made at them. The Christian faith was never meant to be primarily a beliefs based religion. Even when we say “I believe in Jesus” we are saying that we trust in the work Jesus has accomplished and that living like him leads to life. Our beliefs are not meant to be intellectual sticking points between us. However, sadly this has become a reality for some. It is when we allow our beliefs about God to override our commitment to the things of God that we are least like God. Instead we need to listen to what Jesus says and keep our disagreements in the right context.

Instead we need to focus on two nonnegotiables, I love God and strive to follow God in my life, and so does this fellow believer. This is Jesus’ prayer for us, that God help us to remember that we are all part of the same body. Jesus recognized that there will be a temptation to conform to the divisive ways of the world and wants us to prioritize demonstrating God’s love in our own lives. But the temptation to divisiveness can be powerful. Language and cultural barriers, differences in style and taste in worship and yes even real theological disagreements present challenges to this unity. It has been our history to allow differences in areas like culture and language divide us. We have been prone to allow our tastes in worship keep us from loving fellow Christians and praying for them. Yet, there has also been a trend in Christianity to love and respect one another and seek unity.

It may not always be easy to be a force for unity in the church, sometimes people are very different from one another and very difficult. But this is why Jesus prays explicitly for Christian unity. His prayer is that each of us might be so committed to God and so connected to God that we each want to love one another. What does Jesus expect from us? To think about one another,  to pray for one another to empathize with one another’s pain. Not simply those in our local community but to the extent we can, those Christians around the globe. It can also be good if we attempt to learn from one another and build cultural bridges. To listen to people with slightly different ideas, not for the purpose of responding or changing their minds, but simply to listen. I do not need to agree with everything my Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic brothers and sisters do, but I can appreciate that they are seeking God and so should be kind to them. I should pray for them and feel concern for them and even help them. I should be willing to sit with them and show a level of unity with them. Yes, we might end in disagreement on issues and not see eye-to-eye on how to do things, but we can still recognize we are of the same body. In a world that so consistently rejects Jesus’ teachings unity is important. Understanding that we are one body with all our brothers and sisters helps us build up each other’s resistance to this world. The Christian’s goal in life is to focus on God in such a way as to live out Jesus’ prayer for us. We do this trusting that God will help us. Our goal is to listen to Jesus’ prayer and allow his call for unity to sink so deeply into our hearts that we are looking to bring unity to other believers for God’s glory.

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^[1] Joel C. Elowsky, ed., John 11–21, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 250.