John 17 records a beautiful summary of Jesus’ intercession for his immediate disciples and the many who will believe in the future as a result of the faithful witness of the church. This prayer is often called the High Priestly Prayer as Christ summarizes his mission and asks for divine favor on those born through faith in him, and the proclamation of the church.Jesus prays that his followers would be holy, yet engaged in the world, united as a community, and they would know the eternal love of the triune God. These three prayers reflect three of God’s absolute attributes: holiness, unity, and love.
The identity of God’s people is aptly encapsulated here — we are a holy nation from all nations (1 Pet 2:4-10), united across class, gender, race, and cultural divides through Christ (Gal 3:28; Eph 2:11-21). We are now a community characterized by love — our chief virtue and evidence of the reality of Christ (John 13:34-35). In the turbulence of our current pandemic and public protests, there is much anger and division, even among professing Christians.
It is noteworthy that in John 17 Jesus prayed four times for our unity. In verse 11, Jesus prays for protection so that unity may be realized. Jesus asks for spiritual protection from the evil one, even as believers remain engaged in the world (verse 15). In verse 21, Christ prays for unity that the watching world will believe. In verse 22, our unity is rooted in the glory of God. And in verse 23, Jesus prays for complete unity grounded in the love between the father and the son. Christians have the awesome privilege and responsibility to be an answer to the prayer of Jesus! Christ’s pleas for unity in this prayer will become the provision of the cross, forgiving our sins and removing all barriers to fellowship with God and friendship across human divides (2 Cor 5:14-6:2; Col 3:1-17).
God’s grace declares us holy and united…and now we need the Holy Spirit’s help to live out this new identity with peace and love (Eph 4:1-16). Jesus’ prayer offers us a way forward amidst the anger and polarization that infects our culture and often the church. Pastors and leaders I speak with are concerned about congregation members being quick to judge those who disagree and even leaving a church if it does not line up with certain ideas.
Five prayer insights that offer hope for flourishing
Jesus died and rose again to establish unity
Our task is maintaining unity and maturing in our expressions of holy love (Eph 4:1-16). Our unity is a divine covenant sealed in blood, not a human artifice of formulas and self-interest. Our first choice is clear: We must do the hard work of understanding, praying, and even living with diverse perspectives.
The unity of the gospel is the starting place for repentance
And the painful process of reconciliation and repair concerning historical and systematic injustices, especially racism. We must own the history of our mothers and fathers in the faith, and, like Daniel and Ezra before us, humble ourselves and ask God for favor and healing.
The unity Jesus prayed for is a process
And not mere pronouncements or an instant perfection. This is why John 17:23 is a gracious invitation for us to keep perfecting unity. The word here is a similar one to Jesus’ cry of “It is finished” as he atoned for our sins, and bore our sicknesses and sorrows, unjust suffering and unanswered questions.
This unity means living peaceably with deep differences
Hoping that humility, love, and mutual respect may yield both maturity and wisdom. The glory of the church is not cultural or ideological uniformity, but harmony born of dignity and respect.
Unity in Christ will also lead to compassion
And economic and social change rooted in transformed hearts and minds. Real unity cannot ignore the distress of our immediate neighbor (James 2; 1 John 2) and institutional injustice around us (Is 58; Amos 5).Through the gospel, the Holy Spirit has created a new humanity. Class and culture, ethnicity and gender, religious and political backgrounds still exist, but they are not to hinder unity and the mission of being the people of God in a world steeped in darkness (Phil 2:1-18). Sadly, the church has often reflected the sinful sociology of her surroundings instead of the Spirit’s new community of faith, hope, and love. Classism, racism, sexism, and perverted ethnic and political agendas too often efface the purity of Christ. Sinful sociology must give way to compassion and community around the table of the Lord (1 Cor 10:14-17; 11:17-33).
We are either enhancing or subverting the unity established by Jesus. May the Lord help us be an answer to the intercession of our great high priest and savior.
