Being One

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

BEING ONE

John 17:6-12

6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

NIV

It does appear Jesus is praying about certain individuals, such as his twelve disciples, which the Father has given to him, especially when he includes Judas as the only one he was not able to protect, but then that was the plan all along. We will also see a little later in his prayer that he does not pray for them alone, but for all who will believe in him because of their message. So if this part of his prayer is specific to his disciples then what kind of life application can there be for us? Could we make the case the Father has given us to Jesus as well and it really was not our choice, but his? Could we think there are others who are like Judas that are doomed to destruction by the choice of God so some other scripture would be fulfilled? Perhaps we should just look at this as a historic record of his prayer for his disciples and leave it at that. Yet if we already heard Jesus tell us that if we remain in him and he in us we will bear much fruit and in doing so will show we are his disciples, in fact, it is God’s will that we bear much fruit showing ourselves to be his disciples. So if we are to show ourselves to be his disciples by bearing much fruit then this prayer of Jesus is for us as well, and those others who will believe because of our message are still out there. We therefore could make the case that the Father is in fact protecting us by the power of the name of Jesus. We can also see that although we are individuals, as the Holy Trinity is, we are supposed to be one as they are one. A mystery if there ever was one. Sometimes it seems not any two of us can agree on any one thing, so how are we all to be one? We parse every aspect of the scriptures finding the minutest things to differ on, instead of focusing on the main truth of God. If the Father is protecting us by the name of Jesus, so we can be one as they are, then we are being one if we all trust in the name of Jesus for our salvation. Yes we might differ on some of the other points, but if we agree we are saved through the name of Jesus then we are of one mind, one spirit, one heart, calling ourselves by his name, identifying ourselves as his disciples because we are bearing much fruit. But what if we call ourselves by his name, Christians, and believe we are saved by his name, but we are not bearing much fruit, showing ourselves to be his disciples, which is the will of the Father. Are we still one as he prays we should be? This fruit we must bear includes or at least is encompassed in love, which again we were told by Jesus that he commands us to love each other. So then are we one if we are not, in fact, actually loving each other? There is so much needed in our lives if we are to be one as they are. Where do we start being one?