Daily Scripture Reading John 17:20 - 18:17
Modern Christianity has corrupted the Biblical teaching on Christian unity. The Bible tells us to pursue unity. However, many Christians mistakenly believe unity trumps everything. Many churches treat the lack of unity as the greatest sin in the world. Yes, Jesus wants us to pursue unity, but that is not the only command He gave us. Jesus also told us to confront sin. By definition, when we confront a fellow believer regarding sin, we are causing some disunity.
Even though unity has been overemphasized, it is a Biblical teaching. In today’s reading we will look at one of the passages that teaches us about unity.
The 17th chapter of John is a prayer Jesus prayed after He ate the Passover with His disciples. He asked the Father to keep the disciples in His name, protect them from the evil one, and sanctify them in truth.
John 17:20 ¶ “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
The pronoun “these” refers to the eleven disciples. The pronoun “those” refers to everyone who has believed in Jesus since the resurrection of Jesus.
One of the challenges of applying the Bible is understanding when a promise or command applies to all Christians or when it only applies to the immediate recipient of the command or promise. In this case, that means asking if this prayer recorded in John 17 applies to all Christians or just the disciples.
In this verse Jesus said His prayer applies to all Christians. The fact that Jesus included that statement in His prayer and made the distinction is evidence that we need to make the distinction when applying the Bible
John 17:21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Notice the first word of this verse is the word “that”. Everything that comes after that word is the result Jesus was striving for when He said what He said in verse 20.
In verse 20 Jesus said His requests in this prayer were on behalf of all Christians. In verse 17 and 19 Jesus asked the Father to sanctify Christians in truth. Verse 21 tells us Jesus asked Christians to be sanctified in truth so that they can be one. The purpose of being one is so that the world may believe that the Father sent Jesus.
John 17:22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
Once again we see the concept of Christians being one. Being one is not necessarily something that Christians need to try and make happen. Everyone who believes in Jesus is a Christian. All Christians are part of the universal church. In that sense all true believers are automatically part of one great body of believers.
John 17:23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
In this verse we see the word “unity”. Jesus expressed a desire that Christians be perfected in unity. The phrase “may be perfected” tells us that unity is a process, it is not something that happens automatically.
Notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say that unity is the most important thing to pursue. He simply said unity should be a goal, meaning unity is one of multiple things Christians should pursue.
Unfortunately, modern Christianity has corrupted the Biblical teaching on Christian unity. Yes, the Bible tells us to pursue unity. However, many Christians mistakenly believe unity trumps everything. Many churches treat the lack of unity as the greatest sin in the world. Yes, Jesus wants us to pursue unity, but that is not the only command He gave us. Jesus also told us to confront sin. By definition, when we confront a fellow believer regarding sin, we are causing some disunity.
Christians who believe unity trumps everything use unity as a weapon to silence those who try to expose sin, heresy, and corruption in the church. True believers should not allow them to get away with that. True believers need to keep unity in perspective. It is something we should pursue, but it is not the most important goal.
John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:25 ¶ “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;
John 17:26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 18:1 ¶ When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples to the other side of the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, into which He entered with His disciples.
John 18:2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often gathered there with His disciples.
John 18:3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
John 18:4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
Notice the phrase “knowing all the things that were coming upon Him”. Jesus knew all the suffering He was about to endure. And yet He did not run or hide. He accepted it.
John 18:5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.
John 18:6 So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 18:7 Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
John 18:8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
John 18:9 in order that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled, “Of those whom You have given Me, I lost not one.”
John 18:10 Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.
John 18:11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”
Once again we see that Jesus understood His destiny and did not run away from it.
John 18:12 ¶ So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him,
John 18:13 and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
John 18:14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better for one man to die on behalf of the people.
John 18:15 ¶ And Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest,
This is a very interesting tidbit. The high priest knew one of the disciples of Jesus. We often picture the disciples as a bunch of poor outcasts. However, at least one of the disciples had a relationship with the highest religious leader in Judaism.
John 18:16 but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
John 18:17 Then the servant-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “Are you not also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not.”
In John 13:37-38 we read that Peter had vowed to lay down his life for Jesus, but that Jesus has predicted Peter would deny Him three times. This was the first denial.
Christian unity is a Biblical concept. Unfortunately, many Christians mistakenly believe unity is the most important command and trumps everything else in the Bible.
What are some examples of your church overemphasizing Christian unity?
What are some examples of Christians using unity as a weapon to silence those who are trying to expose sin, corruption, or false teachings?
What is the proper, Biblical pursuit of Christian unity?
When might we have to surrender some unity in order to obey other commands found in the Bible?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”