Jesus’ Lasting Desire – “That They Be One”

“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.” ~John 17:20-21a (NRSV).

The power of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 resounds through the ages—the church unified in the Father and in the Son, as they are unified in each other, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Think for a moment, now.

Jesus is praying for you and me in this specific locale, in a passage chronicled adjacent his imminent death. Even with humiliation and death bearing down, our Lord was captivated by the love he envisioned the church—each member, which is us alone, abiding—would exemplify in a unification not possibly known without the gospel.

God’s vision for the church: that they may all be one.

And as God makes the church one, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we each are also made one, completed within by the Spirit from above.

One is God’s number. And only God can make us one.

We can only be one when we, like Jesus, sacrifice what we want for the better good of another—it’s really that simple. And as more and more people do that, more and more unity compounds, to the glory of God.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.