Dear Christian friends:

We all know the Lord's Prayer and it is a very good prayer. But we have another prayer in the Bible which Jesus prayed, which is perhaps 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, 26 verses long. Jesus prayed this long 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 who had come to arrest Him and to meet Judas who had betrayed Him. It was on Thursday evening in the upper room where He had instituted the Lord's Supper. This prayer is called THE HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER because Jesus prayed mostly for His people, not for Himself.

In this prayer Jesus prays that God will show His glory and give glory to Himself by His suffering death and resurrection. He prays that God will keep the disciples pure and free from the world's evil. He prays that the church will be united and that the church can share His glory.

Our text is part of that prayer, the part where Jesus prays that the church will be united.


This is a prayer you should read and study, because here Jesus prays for you and me and all believers. You need to hear what Jesus prays. That evening Jesus did not say this prayer in private. He said it before the 11 disciples so that they could hear every word and then let that happen to them. And John later wrote it in his Gospel. The Holy Spirit helped John remember it and write it. Why? For you and all future Christians to read and consider. Jesus says, "I am not praying for these (11 disciples) only, but also for all those who will believe on Me through their word." (verse 20) Here Jesus prays for all believers of all times and places, for believers of every race and nation. When Jesus prayed this prayer 1950 years ago He thought of you, too, and prayed for you.

And what does Jesus pray for you and me and all Christians?

"That they may be one." (verse 21) Jesus prays that all Christians may be one united church with love, peace and harmony. The Christians should love one another and agree with one another the same as the Father and Son love each other and agree with each other. Jesus prays, "That they may be one; as You, Father, are in Me and I in You." (verse 21b) The Father and the Son are perfectly united. Jesus and His Father never disagree or quarrel or are jealous of each other. Those two "are in each other;" they have beautiful, perfect love and regard for one another and agree in everything. They agreed about the plan to save the world. The Son Jesus was not jealous of the Father when He must leave heaven and become a humble Man and suffer and die on the cross. Jesus loved the Father and was eager to do His plan and work. Although He was equal with the Father, He accepted to be under the Father as a man and suffer and die to succeed God's plan of saving the world. (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus prays that the church be united in love and agreement as He and the Father are united in love and agreement. He wants His people to be one united; peaceful happy church with members from every race and nation loving each other and working together in mission.

Can this really happen? Does the Father hear Jesus' prayer? Yes! It has been happening since Jesus prayed it and it is happening today. Christians all over the world from every nation and race believe in Jesus and are members of the Holy Christian Church. You should go to an international church convention sometime and you will see that is true. The Father hears Jesus' prayer.

How can this happen? Because the Father and the Son make it happen. Jesus prays, "That they may be one; as you, Father are in Me and I in you, that they may be one in us." (verse 21a, b) We can't make it happen. We always are proud and jealous and I, I, I all the time. But the Father and the Son can make it happen.

How do they make it happen? Jesus explains as He continues praying: "The glory You, Father, gave to Me I gave to them; that they may be one, as we are one. I am in them, and You are in Me to make them perfectly one." (verses 22-23) Jesus means God's love comes to the church to make them united. He says to the Father, "I told them Your name and I will continue to tell them Your name, so that the love You have for Me will be in them and I will be in them." (verse 26) Through Jesus' teaching or Word God's love comes to the church and unites the members in love. The Holy Spirit through the Word does it!

We must remember that God's love is the same as His glory. God's greatest glory is that He loves sinners and shows mercy to His enemies and gives His dear Son to die for them that they can have forgiveness of sins and become kings and priests with Jesus to share the glory that He now has sitting at God's right hand. Therefore Jesus prays, "The glory You, Father, gave to Me I gave to them; that they may be one." (verse 22)

Because we now have God's glory or love we need not seek the selfish glory or love of this world. Jesus prays that we be happy and satisfied with His glory. Then we will not always be, “I, I, I". We will then really love each other and be united and cooperate in doing His mission. In the world when someone receives honor and glory or promotion the others who are left behind or out feel jealous and complain and compete. But in the church it should not be like that. Why? Because Jesus gives His glory equally to all believers. In Jesus’ church we all have a crown and glory and honor. We love and prefer others better than ourselves. Thus the unity of the church is established and kept.

The Father will answer Jesus' prayer and give unity to the church because Jesus has faithfully taught the church about the Father's glory and love.

The Father will answer Jesus' prayer for one united church also because a united church influences the world in a good way.

When the church is united in love and mission the world will believe that the Father sent Jesus and that the Father's love is active in the church. (verses 21c and 23c) The unbelievers in the world will be influenced and impressed when they see the love and power and good works of the Christians. Some of them will say, "We will go with you because we see that God is with you." The Father wants this to happen. He wants all people to be saved and to come and know the truth in Jesus. He will answer Jesus' prayer that the church be united in love and mission. That has a good influence on the world.

Jesus wants you to hear this prayer and be touched by it. He wants you to hear His Word often so that you can have His glory and His love and be united with all other Christians in His Church.

Amen.