John 13-17 is the end of Jesus’ ministry with the disciples. John begins this “Farewell Address” with the washing of the disciples’ feel, calls them to radical levels of love for one another, warns them of the hatred coming to them from the world, and encourages them with the promise of the Holy Spirit. Throughout chapters 14-16, John continues to highlight Jesus’ promise of the Spirit. The Spirit that brings unity between Jesus and the Father in a perfect community of love. Submission to the Spirit takes relinquishing our rights, positions of power over others, our wishes, etc. to then embrace the freedom that life in the Spirit provides us. The more we submit to the Spirit, the freer we are to love those who are different than us because we are no longer suspicious of them, fearful of what they might take from us, and we are able to meet them where they are with love and compassion.
At the end of the “Farewell Address” in John, Jesus ends his time with the disciples with what is called the “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17. The part of this prayer that we will focus on this week is 17:20-26 when Jesus prays for us. The emphasis of the prayer is on the unity that we should share with fellow Sisters and Brothers in Christ. What is this unity supposed to look like? The unity we share should look like the unity between Jesus and the Father. The unity that the Father and Jesus shares is a relationship in the Spirit. All are God and all are in (and have always been) in a divine community together. The Spirit makes their relationship possible and their love complete. One of the best expressions of Trinitarian beliefs is that the Godhead (Father, Son, and Spirit) exist together in a community of love.
Part of the gospel is that Jesus descended to where we are, to be like us in every way, so that we could then ascend into the divine community of God and be like him. This community of love is not something we wait for to come when Jesus returns. This community of love begins in the sharing of the Spirit to bring us to unity, as Jesus and the Father are one.
What are some of the major roadblocks to Christians being unified?
What steps are needed to bring unity to Christians everywhere?
It is easy to fall into the trap of articulating what others need to do to bring about unity, how the church as a whole needs to change, and point out the downfalls in organization and history. More importantly, this discussion must move from the outward focus to an inward reflection.
What habits are you forming in your life to invite the Spirit in to help you grow in: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control?
In what ways can you bridge the divides in the church through building spiritual relationships with others who are different from you?
What are you doing to develop humility in your approach to differences between you and other disciples of Christ?