love and unity
Four times in chapter 17 John tells us that Jesus prayed that his followers would become one (v.11, 21, 22 & 23) as he and the father are one. This is the corner stone and the building block for authentic lasting relationships. Jesus knew that the plan of the enemy was to engender disunity and separate the fellowship from each other using whatever tactic he could use. We see this tactic in full swing in the church at Corinth. The more eloquent the person was the more esteem they were given, 1Corinthians 1:10-17; 2:1-16. One person blatantly caused disruption by having unhealthy relations with his mother-in-law (5:1ff). And then certain people in the church were promoting one gift of the Spirit over and above the others 12:1-31, assuming that the more gifted you were the more spiritual you would be and the closer you were to God. Gifting in not equal to integrity!
In Jesus’ prayer in john 17 he did not say that we will be one, which is an imperative. He prayed that we may be one, that is, we could be together or we could be apart. But the cry from his heart was that we operate in unity, not in uniformity but in unity. Paul picks this up in 1cor 13 when he tell the church of Corinth that there is a more excellent way. This was built on the building block of love, not gifting, or spiritedness, but love. So let us put Jesus’ prayer into action and say like the apostle Paul: love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends. so build your Christian life on love which always promotes unity.
