21 May 26 | Jesus Prays for Unity
Jesus prayed for everyone who would ever believe through the disciples' word and that includes you.
The Gospel: John 17:20-26
²⁰ "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. ²² And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them."
Today’s Focus
The high priestly prayer expands to include all future believers, asking for a unity rooted in the Trinitarian oneness of Father and Son, assigning the community's visible unity as the apologetic for the mission, and closing with the desire that believers would see the glory of the eternal love between Father and Son.
In the Margins
Jesus is still praying. The disciples in the room with Him are one circle of the prayer’s concern. Now the prayer moves outward to everyone who will believe through their word across every generation. This prayer includes every person reading it now.
The request is unity. That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in Us. The unity Jesus prays for is not organizational agreement or doctrinal uniformity as ends in themselves. It is participation in the unity of Father and Son. The oneness He is asking for the community is modeled on and rooted in the oneness of the Trinity. The disciples being one is the overflow of the Father and Son being one with the disciples drawn into that relationship.
The purpose Jesus gives for the unity is striking. That the world may believe that you sent me. The visible oneness of the community is the apologetic for the mission. A community that embodies the unity of the Trinity presents to the watching world evidence of the divine origin of the one who established it. Division in the community is not only an internal failure. It is an interference with the world’s ability to recognize Jesus.
Jesus then says He has given the disciples the glory the Father gave Him. The glory here is not the visible radiance of the Transfiguration but the glory of divine love expressed in the mutual indwelling of Father and Son, now extended to the disciples. You loved them even as you loved me. The love the Father has for the Son, the eternal love of the Trinity, has been extended to those who believe in the Son. John 15:9 announced this. The high priestly prayer asks for it to remain and deepen.
The prayer closes with a desire and a name. Father, I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory. The final destination Jesus prays for the disciples is His own presence. Not a place but a person. And the name He will make known to them is the name that was the ground of everything, the love with which the Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world, now extending into those who belong to Him through faith.
This prayer was prayed for you specifically. Verse 20 makes that explicit. Jesus was praying for those who would believe through the disciples’ word. That word reached you. You are in the prayer. The love with which the Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world is the love Jesus asked to be in you. Whatever the state of your faith today, that prayer was prayed before you knew you needed it.
Reflection Question
If the visible unity of the community you belong to is part of the world's ability to recognize Jesus, what is one thing you could do to contribute to that unity rather than diminish it?