We come to the conclusion of a series that examined a prayer of Jesus. His prayer began with Himself, then moved to His disciples, and finally to all those who would be followers of Him. His prayer for Himself centered around the completion of His mission on earth and His restoration of glory that He had always possessed. His prayer for His disciples focused on their being kept in truth. Now, His prayer turns to all His followers who would come after He ascended to heaven and await His return.
And so, Jesus prays for all believers…
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17:20-26
What a beauty. What simplicity. What wonder. The Lord is thinking of all those who would see Him for who He is–the second person of the Trinity–as He reaches His final moments here on earth. This final aspect of Christ’s prayer has three main movements:
- Unity with the purpose of world evangelism
- Fellowship with the purpose of revealed glory
- Identification with the purpose of experienced love
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- The Christian’s unity does more than make the Christian comfortable, but also affirms the truthfulness of the Christian’s belief to an unbelieving world. In other words, as the Christian is unified with other Christians, they not only testify that their faith is in fact true, but also inform the world about Jesus. Unity, therefore, should be a top priority in the Christian’s aspiration and ministry.
- Jesus’ heart for His followers is that they are with Him–in His fellowship. In the right sense of the word, He longs for established fellowship with His people in order to show them His glory. If this is true, can you imagine then how He is using everything in your life to prepare you for fellowship with Him and the revelation of His glory? Paul has something to say of this when he writes that all things in the Christian’s life are being used for their good–to conform them to Christ’s image. Incredible.
- As each follower of Christ learns more about God, they will experience the love of God. This is an inevitability simply because it is part-and-parcel of who God is and what He has accomplished on the Christian’s behalf. In other words, the Christian is to be like king David of old when he said in Psalm 27, “When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.” The Christian’s heart, then is to seek the face of God–to ever live before His face–Coram Deo.
May this prayer of our Lord encourage you as you walk in unity–daily–long for His fellowship–daily–and experience His love–daily. Glory to our God!
— June 22, 2018