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"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."- John 17:20-26
Currently, we are reading through Christ's High Priestly Prayer, which He prayed at the Last Supper, after His Farewell Discourse to the disciples. In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus prayed to the Father, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those
whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of
perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to
You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy
fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has
hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the
world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but
that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be
sanctified by the truth."
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in
Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in
Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may
believe that You sent Me." In this prayer, Jesus has prayed first for Himself (verses 1-5), and secondly for the apostles (verses 6-19). Only then does His High Priestly Prayer turn to pray for those whom You have given Me. That is, all who will come to believe in Him through the word of the apostles, as He says here. My study Bible comments, regarding those who will believe, that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity. Christians enjoy two kinds of unity: with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.
"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one
just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made
perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and
have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also
whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My
glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of
the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I
have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have
declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with
which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." Note that this entire finish to Christ's High Priestly Prayer is rooted in love, and specifically the love of the Father and how that is the root of the communion of all. From the love of the Father is the love between Christ and the Father, and that love in turn is extended to those who believe in His word (the apostles). Through the apostles, this love becomes a part of the faithful to come, "that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." There is nothing left out of this communion in the name of God, in which is rooted love and glory through God's word and faith in that word.
As noted above, if we look closely at today's closing lines from Christ's High Priestly Prayer, we see everything couched in a communion of love. It is clear that the Source of love is God the Father. But this should not be confused with a kind of simple hierarchy that we understand on worldly terms. For this love is not something that is limited, but shared, and shared deeply within a communion. That communion is not only between Father and Son. But it clearly also includes the Holy Spirit -- and beyond that, the apostles who bear Christ's word within themselves through faith and discipleship, and extends out to all those who will believe through their word. Effectively, we have an entire universe, a whole cosmos, filled with this communion of love. For, not only is God -- the Creator and Source of all -- love, but God's word that is extended, that finds itself in faith, bears that love to us. That word bears God's name and Person, and these also can come to dwell in us, and through us even in the world that does not believe. This is why, during Christ's Farewell Discourse, just before this prayer, Jesus tells the disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). So we have two things that we know. The first is that God is love, and that Christ's word and the communion in His name, are couched and rooted in love, permeated in love. The second is that the word we're given, the truth of God, even the glory of God, is going to be hated by some and rejected -- and in this, believers will also experience tribulation. We have to remember that there are spiritual roots to all of these things, and that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:2). But we take our peace and joy in this communion we can experience, in the word that gives us love and good guidance, and in which we can trust, even if there is tribulation. As the faithful, we are called upon to know and to live these things, for we will surely experience them one way and another. We know that Christ prays before going to the Cross, His sacrifice for all of us, for that love ("Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" - John 15:13). For each of us, how that works out depends upon our own places in this great net of love, the communion between God and the faithful (and, lest we forget, this includes the celestial powers loyal to God, as well as the communion of saints). Let us go forward with confidence in that love, find His victory for ourselves, and be prepared for the kind of life to which we're called, in His name.
