Why unity is essential

May 29, 2021

17:1-26 What Jesus wants for us

Read John 17:23

In the previous two verses, Jesus had expressed his longing that his followers might “all be one”, with the same unity which he himself has with the Father (17:21-22), and that prayer now comes to a head. In particular, he underlined again that it is our being in him that makes this possible – “I in them and you (Father) in me”. This had been his repeated emphasis in his teaching to them that evening, in which the ‘how’ of fruitfulness depends on being in Jesus just as Jesus is in the Father (14:20; 15:9-10).

But the purpose of our individual oneness with him, and the fruitfulness which comes from it, is not primarily our personal blessing and satisfaction. In our shared union with him, Jesus longs for us “to be brought to complete unity” (23a). This is essential if we are to be effective in continuing his work in the world – “May they be in us so that the world may believe you have sent me” (17:21). Only when we demonstrate a unity which is rooted in the Father and the Son will the world be able to believe that Jesus has been sent by God, to make known to us that God loves each one of us just as much as he loves his own Son (23b).

The existence today of thousands of Christian denominations is, without doubt, a stumbling block that hinders many from believing. However, this is not a prayer for organisational unity but for a spiritual unity in Jesus which transcends all barriers of race, culture and denomination (10:16; Gal.3:26-28). Our human nature is a constant threat to that unity (Acts 6:1; 1 Cor.1:12) and so we must “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Eph.4:3). In all our relationships, love is the key to doing that (13:34-35).