Day 144: Why Does Jesus Pray for Oneness?
We continue to discuss the importance of “Oneness” among Jesus’ people. Why does Jesus want His people to be “one”? So that the World will believe and know that He was sent by the Father!
WORDwork:
John 17:20
“I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, 17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 17:22 The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one— 17:23 I in them and you in me—that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.
Who is Jesus praying for according to 17:20?
What does Jesus pray for all his people according to 17:21?
According to 17:21, why is it important that Jesus’ people be “one”?
What has Jesus given to His people according to 17:22?
What is Jesus request in 17:23?
What is the purpose or desired result of this request?
Yesterday, we took note of the fact that in this prayer, Jesus is focusing on The 12, the men that He choose to be His apostles. We are going to talk about the apostles in more detail a little later. For now, know that the term apostle is built on the root term “to send out.” The 12 were set apart by Jesus to take His message, His Gospel, beyond the borders of Israel, even to the remotest parts of the Earth. As they did this, the goal would be to “make disciples from all nations” (Matthew 28:16-20). We have been discussing this goal all throughout MilktoMeat and we will focus on it a little more closely in this last unit.
Take note of what Jesus says here: He is not ONLY praying for the 12, but also for all those who would believe in Jesus through their testimony. That means everyone who would trust Jesus; that means that Jesus is praying for you and me in this prayer! Jesus had the whole future of His work carried forward in the Church in mind as He prayed these words.
Jesus goes on to pray something very specific now: that they will be one just and He and the Father are one. This is one of the most important prayers ever prayed and also gives us great insight what Jesus desires for all of us as His people and why He desires these things.
First of all, let’s focus on why Jesus is asking this; focus on this:
John 17: 21-23
… so that the world will believe that you sent me. …17:23…so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.
Why does Jesus want His people to be “one”? So that the World will believe and know that He was sent by the Father! Think about the significance of that statement. The way we relate to one another as followers of Jesus speaks to the World. The way we relate to one another as followers of Jesus gives the final witness and evidence of Jesus’ work in the world. “Oneness” is critically important to the witness of Jesus people to the outside world.
So what is “oneness” and how do we achieve it?
Jesus gives us insight into what “oneness” is right in this passage:
John 17:21-23
… just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, 17:22 The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one— 17:23 I in them and you in me—that they may be completely one,…
First of all, Jesus says that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. Here is the “in” language again that we have touched on many times now. In John’s Gospel, there are several passages that give us more insight into what this means:
John 14:10–11
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
Simply stated, Jesus and the Father are inseparable. Jesus’ words are the Father’s words. Jesus’ works are the Father’s works. Wherever Jesus is, the Father is there also. They are completely united in thought and action because they are always present “in” one another. This pushes into some of the mystery of the Trinity, but I think you can see the point that Jesus is making.
So, Jesus wants us to visualize the reality that He is in the Father, the Father is in Him, we are in Christ and the Father, and Christ is in us. Try to draw that out using circles. The main point is this: our life—all that we are and do—is inseparably linked, attached, connected to the Father and Jesus. This changes the way we think about everything.
So Jesus desires that we, his followers, be one. We need to see that we are inseparably attached to one another in Christ. Ultimately, Jesus’ message and example calls us to self-sacrificial love. If we are following Jesus’ example, sharing in His mindset and so thinking about and caring for others and one another as Jesus Himself does (see Philippians 2:1-11), then we will be validating the reality of Jesus words and work. Francis Schaeffer called this love and unity/oneness of Christians the “final apologetic.” As Jesus prays here, it is through our oneness that the world will come to believe and know that He was sent from the Father.
In 17:22, Jesus prays something else that gives more insight: “The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one…” Although exactly what Jesus’ means by this is debated, we can first go back to our definitions of these terms. Glory is first and foremost the Lord God’s profound excellence, goodness and beauty revealed to us. And as we have already heard, it is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Here, Jesus is emphasizing the revelation aspect of this larger idea. The Father has revealed Jesus the Son as worthy of adoration and praise. Now Jesus has revealed this to His disciples. As we all focus on this revelation in and about Jesus, our minds and hearts are all looking in the same direction. This is the foundation that our “oneness” is built on.
Think about all that we have discussed today. Do you understand why Oneness is so important for the Church? Do you see Oneness displayed in the church or group of Christians you associate with?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
