Dear Christian friends:

We all know the Lord's Prayer which Jesus taught us to pray. But we have another prayer in the Bible which Jesus prayed, which perhaps is more important than the Lord's Prayer. It is longer than the Lord's Prayer, a whole chapter of St. John's Gospel, chapter 17:1-26, twenty-six verses. Jesus prayed this long prayer just before He left with His disciples to go to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed some more and then went to meet the mob which had come to arrest Him and to meet Judas who had betrayed Him. It was Thursday evening in the upper room where He had instituted the Lord's Supper a short time before.

This prayer should be of great interest to you, because in that prayer Jesus prays for you and me and all believers. Jesus says to His Father, "I am not praying for these (11 disciples) only, but also for those who will believe on Me through their word." (verse 20) Eighty years later in the year 110 A.D. John wrote this prayer of Jesus in his Gospel. Why? For all Christians of every age to read and consider. Here Jesus prays for all believers of all times and places, for believers of every color and nation. When Jesus prayed this prayer 1953 years ago He thought of you, and He prayed for you and me.


In that part of the prayer which is our text Jesus prays that the believers may be one. Jesus prays, "Father, I am not praying for these only, but also for those that will believe on Me through their word; that they may be one." (verses 20-21a)

What does this mean? It means three things. First, that all believers are members of one body, Jesus' body, Jesus' Church. It means believers in any place and believers of various denominations. It also means believers who have died and are now in heaven with Jesus. It means all believers living on earth today, and also those who will believe in the future, who are not yet born. Secondly, it means that all believers are inspired by one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who gives each one faith, new birth and new life through the apostles' word. All believers have the same Savior, the same mission and the same hope. They are all united in their thinking and goals. Thirdly, it means that all believers are joined with the bond of love and charity. They truly love one another and help one another as brothers and sisters in one great family.

Jesus is praying for the Holy Christian Church, the Universal Church, the communion of saints as we say in the Creed. Jesus' Church is one!

Well, if that is true, that the Holy Christian Church is one, why does Jesus pray to the Father that it may be one? Because Jesus wants us to know it and be one better and better. Jesus wants us to show this oneness of the Spirit in our daily living. Often we misunderstand about the Holy Christian Church. We Lutherans perhaps think that we are the Holy Christian Church not others. And the Catholics perhaps think that they are the Holy Christian Church, not others. And the Baptists perhaps think that they are the Holy Christian Church, not others. But the Holy Christian Church is not the Lutherans or the Catholics or the Baptists. Really, we can't see the Holy Christian Church because we can't see anyone's heart if he believes or not. In the Lutheran Church there are believers and hypocrites. In the Catholic Church also there are believers and hypocrites; it is the same in the Baptist Church and in all Christian denominations.

Jesus is praying that we may know that His Church is one, united, perfect Church! His Church is the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints. There are no hypocrites in the Holy Christian Church! If you are a hypocrite, you had better wake up! You are not a member of Jesus' Church, although you are a member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church for the Deaf.

See what Jesus prays for His Church here in our text! "That they may be one; as You, Father, are in Me and I in You." (verse 21) Believers are one, the same as the Father and the Son are one. The Father and the Son have a close union; same the believers have a close union; they are united by God's nature. The Father and the Son have a holy union; same the believers are united together by the Holy Spirit for a holy purpose. The Father and the Son have a perfect union; they have the same power, wisdom, love and perfections; same believers are declared holy and perfect through their faith in Christ Jesus, and really will be holy and perfect in heaven. The union of the Father and Son is the PATTERN for the union of Christians with each other.

Jesus further prays that, "They (the believers) be one in us." The HEART of the believers unity is in the Father and in the Son. "There is one Mediator (Savior) between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim.2:5) In the Son the Father forgives the believers. They all have the same Savior, the same free forgiveness. They all receive the same grace from the Father and the Son. Therefore, all who are united by faith with the Father and the Son will also be united with each other. Hypocrites will not feel united with the believers.

Jesus prays more to show us this deep union: "I am in them, and You, Father, are in Me to make them perfectly one." (verse 23) These words,"I in them, and You in Me," show this union of the believers is not only the beauty of the Church but its life. Notice: First, the believers are united with Christ, "I in them." Christ living in the heart of the believer is the life and soul of the new man. Secondly, the believers are united with the Father through their union with Christ; "You, Father, are in Me." Thirdly, the believers are united with each other because they are united with the Father and the Son. Jesus prays, "I am in them, and You, Father, are in Me to make them perfectly one." If you are a believer, you are perfectly united with all other believers whether you know it or not, whether you know them or not! Although they lived before you and are in heaven now, you are united with them. Although they are living in Korea and you have never met them, you are united with them, because you are united with Christ the Son and with the Father.

Another thing which makes the believers strongly united in love is this: they all have receive God's glory. Jesus prays to the Father, "The glory You gave to Me I gave to them; that they may be one, the same as we are one." (verse 22) What is this glory which the Father gave to the Son and the Son gives to the believers? It is the glory of preaching God's Word, especially the Gospel; it is the glory of doing miracles; it is the glory of winning men out of Satan's kingdom to join God's kingdom. Christ, the Son, first had this glory during His ministry here on earth, but then He gave that glory to the 12 apostles when He sent them to make disciples of all nations. Today Jesus gives this command and this glory to all who believe. We also have the wonderful glory of being the children of God!

This glory which God has given to us makes us one, the same as the Father and the Son are one. Why? Because we all have the same glory and plenty of glory. We have, therefore, no reason to feel jealous of one another. We have the Father's Glory and the Son's Glory; we need no other glory. The vain glory of the world makes people jealous of one another. When one person is promoted others are left behind. Those who are left behind feel jealous of those who are promoted and don't want to cooperate with them. But Jesus has given the believers God's glory. They need not the vain glory of the world; they need not be jealous of one another in the Church. This glory which Jesus has given to all of us makes us perfectly united in love and respect and in cooperation to do the Church work.

Jesus wants us to know that all believers in Him are one. If we know this and then show this in our life, we will attract the world to join with us. Jesus prays, "Make them perfectly one that the world may know You sent Me and loved them as You have loved Me." (verse 21&23) If the world sees the Christians quarreling and jealous of one another, it will not be interested to join. But if they see how the Christians are united and love and help one another, some of them will be attracted to us and all of them will have proof that God has been with us.

Therefore, we need to listen to Jesus' prayer here so that we can receive stronger faith and show the unity of His Church in our daily lives. Then the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit receive glory and the world will know that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior.

Amen.