The Call to Oneness in John 17

We already know that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, although having different functions, are completely unified in purpose – they are 100% together in their commitment to restoring humanity into relationship with them. The varying roles of “creator”, “redeemer” and “sustainer” are exercised in a perfectly complimentary way. This is the picture we get of the perfectly functioning Divine community (known as the ‘Trinity’).

This is also a picture that we in the Christian Church are challenged and encouraged to emulate – to have a unified purpose, with the various roles (determined through the gifting given by the Holy Spirit) being exercised in a harmoniously complimentary way. In this way, people in the community will have a chance to begin to appreciate the existence and availability of a warmly relational God. Also, in this way, a believing community of people can be effectively unified with the Divine community.

Let’s first consider Jesus’ prayer in its broadest application. Did Jesus see ahead to all the splits, varying traditions and denominational differences up ahead when he prayed these words recorded in John 17? If he did, then this call for unity would have been even more crucial, lest the Gospel be seen as a pathetic joke! Varying traditions of Christian expression can be seen to be part of a diverse and rich tapestry. On the other hand, some splits or schisms can be traced to the more negative side of human nature – ‘if I can’t get my way, I’ll go and start something new’! Jesus prayed that God would guide the believers to understand their responsibility to stay in relationship with one another. We may regret so many divisions having been created, yet we must hear the words of Jesus now praying into the reality of our current situation.

The various denominations are not going to merge together anytime soon (not this side of heaven), so surely Jesus’ prayer now suggests a cooperation and a working together across denominations (and traditions) with an integrity that clearly displays one God … albeit with the richness of the many available expressions of worship and ministry.

Many churches in Hobsons Bay and also in Wyndham seek to work together through various initiatives and projects. This involves putting some of their ‘distinctives’ on the ‘back-burner’, and concentrating on their major unifying feature – the Lordship of Jesus Christ. However, the possibility of this spreading more broadly is always hampered by such diverse problems as time, fear and individual agendas. Also, it is difficult to cooperate with those who do not have the same commitment to this process as you do!

What we can do, is what we should do! We have been able to support various Christian agencies and organisations through our giving and prayer support – most recently through our gold coin donation campaign. We have been able to join together with Newport Baptist and Williamstown Church of Christ to conduct Careforce “Search for Life” Courses in the West – something that each church could not have done on their own. I have been praying with many other local pastors each Thursday morning for nearly three years now, developing a unified view of local ministry and mission.

Happily, part of cooperating with others, is the willingness to receive as well as give. We have received great support from Altona Baptist Church, and we were able celebrate that in a low-key way last Sunday evening. We talk often of the support we get from the Baptist Union of Victoria, but the Baptist Union is not really an organisation of itself, but rather a representative body of associated churches – which tells us where our financial support really comes from … a cooperative fund contributed to by many churches to support mission where it is most needed.

Let’s now consider Jesus’ prayer in its most local and immediate application. Jesus’ prayer, originally, addressed the disciples he had known and invested his life in, and also the people who would come to associate with them in the first experience of church following the Day of Pentecost (v.20). Without Jesus around in the physical sense, would these immature young followers be able to adequately perpetuate the gospel message? Even with the promise of the Holy Spirit on hand to guide them, this would still be a matter of concern and prayerfulness for Jesus! Why? Because Jesus understood the human capacity to tear each other apart at worst, and just be difficult to get along with at best!

If the good news of Jesus Christ was (and is) to be taken seriously, then those who accept it and adhere to it should be able to prove its credibility through living it out in harmony with one another. If the good news of Jesus does not lead to life being more happily relational – then what is it worth?

Jesus prays (v.11b): "Holy Father, protect them in Your Name that You have given me, so that they may be one, as We are one". Why was Jesus so concerned for them (and their ability to stay unified) that he sought God’s protection over them?

In verse 14 we read about the “world” hating these disciples (where the “world” represents that sphere of influence that is opposed to God’s ways). According to this text, the reason behind such hatred is that these disciples do not “belong” to this world – meaning that these disciples didn’t just follow along with how things were, they chose to adopt Jesus’ attitudes and priorities and way of living. These disciples had given their first allegiance to Jesus – they belonged to him (and not the “world”)! This of course meant that they were different, and therefore a threat! So they would need God’s protection from any attack against the ethical and transformational threat they posed; but was there another level of protection that was needed from God? It seems that with the mention of the maintaining of their oneness in Jesus’ prayer, there is the suggestion that under the pressure of the “world”, there may be the possibility of fragmentation in the Christian community, ie. exterior pressures may bring about interior disruption. The early Christian Community would need the protection of God, so that the integrity of their worship, and their attempts at sharing Jesus with their neighbours, would not be compromised by any negative reactions to the difficulties of life in the face of opposing evil.

“Loving God, protect us from those evil forces that will corrupt our testimony to Jesus, and cause us to doubt one another.”

Jesus next prays (v.17): "Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth". To be “sanctified” is to be set apart, made fit, & equipped … for a particular task.

To survive the journey in unity, the early disciples would have to be emersed in God’s Word. We are no different to this. If we are to survive the complexities of life, make good decisions on a daily basis, retain the quality of our witness to Jesus, and maintain our harmonious relationships in the church, we are going to have to have the Word of God (as given to us in the Bible) uppermost in our mind, guarding and guiding our heart. How do we achieve this? By reading the Bible, by studying the Bible and allowing God to speak through it to us, by asking questions and having more difficult concepts explained to us, by meditating on the Bible and allowing it to sink into our spirit!

Despite Jesus’ awareness of the danger of the world’s attitudes to him and his followers (vs. 14-16), he doesn’t give up on the world and its citizens, rather all the more expresses the need to bring God’s love into this environment. Through our acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and the new life of freedom from the devastating effects of sin we now experience, we join with the ‘Divine United Community’ in being part of the solution for the world and its peoples.

This is indeed the prayer of Jesus as we read in verse 21: "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".

There is the real expectation here that people will respond. And we know that for 20 centuries people have responded positively to the gospel across the world.

But this prayer remains a living prayer of Jesus for us – that the people of our world, all those that we interact with in life’s daily situations, will know that Jesus was sent to reconcile the world to God – to re-establish relationships between human beings and their loving Creator. And the way that this can become a reality is through the oneness of God’s people. Jesus prays again in verses 22-23: "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".

What are some of the ways we can exhibit this oneness?

Oneness or unity is displayed relationally – it’s seen (or not seen) as people interact with each other. Oneness would therefore reflect a commitment to both the needs of another and the corporate needs or purpose of a group.

This is a process of breaking through the reality of different personalities, temperaments, backgrounds, interests and perspectives, and a collaboration of all available resources, abilities and spiritual gifts – toward the attainment of a great goal.

This is a unity brought creatively together through the richness of diversity!

What are some of the ways we can exhibit this oneness?

· Encouragement in the face of the world’s cutting criticism
· Honesty in the face of the world’s deceptions
· Self-Control in the face of the world’s expressions of hostility
· Caring in the face of the world’s self-centredness
· Accepting Difference in the face of the world’s exclusiveness
· Sharing in the face of the world’s selfishness
· Cooperation in the face of the world’s individualism
· Faithfulness in the face of the world’s betrayal
· Gentleness in the face of the world’s desire for power
· Forgiveness in the face of the bitterness in the world
· Peace-making in the face of the world’s tendency to dominate
· Joy & Hope in the face of the world’s despair.

If we can just model community in this way, we will draw others into unity with God!

Where do we stand this Palm Sunday?

Today is Palm Sunday – Jesus rides into the West in his Ford Falcon. We have the choice of proclaiming “Hosanna” and following him into cooperative service with our fellow believers, or crying out “Crucify Him” and walking away lonely and unchanged. As Jesus has invited us on the journey, we have to consider whether we are following his path, or whether we have stepped to the side.

This Easter, I want to more deeply appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made for me out of the depth of the Father’s heart of love. I want to more deeply appreciate my freedom from the limitations of humanness, the wonder of belonging to Jesus, and the richness of being ushered into caring community. I want to take this sense of freedom and peace out into the local community, spend time there, and, no matter how scary this sounds, be observed and questioned because of the hope that lies within me. Let us help each other to stay on the journey, learning as we go, and together thanking Jesus that he is praying for us right now.