It’s no exaggeration to say that our world is falling apart. That’s not being pessimistic; it’s just being honest. And biblical. Paul wrote: “The creation itself experiences bondage to decay” and even now “the whole creation groans,” waiting for renewal (Rom 8:21-22).
That’s why Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is so meaningful. He’s asking the Father for complete wholeness among His followers as a foretaste and preview of the oneness He intends to bring to the entire universe:
I ask also for those who will believe in me, that they may all be one, just 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 have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 17:20-23
Over and over He says it: “Make them one.” Interesting, isn’t it, that this is Jesus’ greatest desire for His followers? Simple unity. You might wonder, “Of all the things He could have asked, why this? Why not radical love or great spiritual power or problem-solving wisdom?” Of course, Jesus wants all that for His followers. But unity rises to the top because it is so clearly what our world needs.
Every single problem in our world is ultimately a unity problem, rooted in human sin. Most people don’t recognize that, because they think of sin simply as violating moral taboos. But broadly speaking, the Bible portrays sin as vandalism—a destructive attack on the fabric of the universe. God creates harmony and order; sin is disintegration, fragmentation, breakdown, chaos.
Thankfully, Jesus came to restore unity and harmony to the entire created order. The gospel is the ultimate message of reconciliation! The cross brings together God and man. It unites Jew and Gentile, male and female, free and slave. It heals the soul, restoring wholeness and health to our inner being. From this perspective, what could Jesus possibly pray about that is more important than unity?
Next week: how unity develops and what happens when it does