So That
This Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing John Chang teach on John 17. As I have been reading over this famous passage of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples (known by many as “Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer), I have been especially struck by these few verses:
“As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:21-23
I have often read over these verses and thought, “Oh okay, Jesus is praying that we would be unified as one as he and the Father are one. That sounds like a great and important ideal to strive for.” While not necessarily wrong, I have completely missed the eternally important implication Jesus is conveying in these verses. He’s calling us to be unified in Him not just for our own sake, but for the sake of the world so that those who don’t know Jesus might come to believe in Him. It’s like Jesus is essentially telling us as His followers, “I want you to be unified in me, the Triune God. Why? Because it is through your love for one another and your abiding in me that those who don’t know me will come to believe in me.” When we function as the body of Christ, when we “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bear with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-3), we are not just growing together, but are actually functioning as a testament to who Jesus is.
May this knowledge affect every conversation, every gathering, every social media interaction and every other aspect of our lives as the body of Christ. As disciples of Jesus, let us remind ourselves that the world is watching. And so, what will the world see when they see Christ’s followers? Will they see Jesus or something else?