PERFECT UNITY

John 17:20-23
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

The Prayer of Jesus

20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

The divine alliance that is manifested in the Trinity is the same healthy alliance God wants among believers. The mystery that is encapsulated in the truth that we are in Jesus, and He is in us, is really beyond our comprehension and exceeds all that we could ever have hoped or guessed. The Bible tells us that on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus prayed not only for His disciples, but also for those who will put their faith in Him through the hearing of their message. His petition to the Father was nothing less than a request that believers, you and I, might experience unblemished communion with one another and God Himself.

Take a few minutes to meditate on the personal implications of Jesus’ high-priestly prayer on your behalf. Are you living in perfect unity or are you falling for Satan’s scheme that divides us?