Oneness In Christ Jesus

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now, I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.” John 17:9-11 New Living Translation

We studied the significance of the Prayer of Lament and how to move forward in your faith while grieving in our two most recent devotionals.

As we discovered from Psalm 13, lament is a way to communicate with God. We may choose to shut down during a period of grief or talk to our parents or a close friend about how we are feeling. Having someone listen to us may help us handle our emotions and the situations that cause them.

In this session, we will discuss the final prayer our Lord Jesus left us, known as ” the Prayer of Unity.” We are familiar with this prayer and have prayed it often. I do not know about you, but these prayers are often short and pointed. My prayers would typically begin with, “Help me, Lord! Lord, why don’t you answer me?”

I had the opportunity to study the prayer Jesus prayed at the Last Supper today. During my study, I discovered a prayer in Deuteronomy 6:1-9 that the living God gave to the Jews. This chapter opens with Moses giving the Jews instructions regarding God’s character. God is holy, and as God’s children, they must pursue holiness. This still applies to us today. As Christians, we are called to be holy, as God is holy.

So how do we become holy like God? We are called to love Him obediently, “with all your heart, soul, and strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

This is a prayer Jesus Himself had to pray every day, and as a Rabbi, He prayed it many times during the day.

Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to the commands I give you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home, on the road, when you are going to bed, and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9 NLT)

At the Last Supper, Jesus knew this was the final meal He would share with His disciples before calm was thrown into chaos. As John 13:1 puts it, “The hour had come,” meaning He knew the moment was near. Can you imagine how Jesus felt during this last meal? Can you imagine all that was stirring and moving in His heart as He ate with His disciples—a group of men He loved so deeply—for the last time before everything changed forever? “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the very end” is one of my favorite passages from John 13:1.

Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and explained what He was doing before the Last Supper began. He demonstrated how much He loved them through His words and actions. The words He spoke around that table, preserved for us in John 13-17, were some of His last words for His disciples both then and now.

Words of truth.
Words of life.
Words of encouragement.
Words of instruction.
Words to explain what was about to happen.
Words of hope.
Words of comfort.
Words of vision.
Words of purpose.
Words of unity to bind them together.
Words of prayer are offered on their behalf and ours.

In the Jewish community two thousand years ago, the table fellowship was critical and intimate. Sharing a meal with someone meant you welcomed, embraced, and accepted them. The table was a place where the disciples could recline, linger, and share stories; it was a place to share in the comforts of food and fellowship.

In this picture of the Last Supper (McLelland, 2023), the disciples are lying on the floor; some are reclining on the table, and some are even resting on Jesus. They were sharing a meal with Jesus, enjoying His presence, and learning what would come. Jesus and the disciples are shown as one in this image. There was intimacy and oneness. I often imagine what it would be like to share a meal with our Lord, sit with Him, and listen to Him. But allow me to share with you a small secret I learned while doing this study: we were part of the Last Supper. His instructions at the Last Supper were for His disciples and each and every one of us who would believe in Him and accept Him as Lord and Savior.

In John 13:34, Jesus prayed, “Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

When Jesus prayed this prayer, He was not only referring to His disciples but to Christians as well. Prayer is an opportunity to engage actively with our living God. It is not passive but active. Prayer is an interaction with the living God and a way to partner with Him. Prayer brings heaven down to earth. Jesus’s final hours were spent praying for His disciples, you, and me. He chose His words carefully. He reminded them of what was coming and urged them to remain one.

What would you say if you knew this would be your last meal with your family? What and how would you pray? That is a tough one. To be completely honest, before my father and husband went to be with the Lord, I had such a fear of losing a loved one that I never got the chance to tell them how I was feeling, to encourage them, or reassure them that I would be okay. I could not find the right words to express my feelings or to say goodbye. So, I missed the opportunity to tell them many things I wanted to say.

Jesus knew His time was coming, and He wanted to remind the disciples of everything He had taught them and prepare them for what was to come. Jesus did not want His disciples and friends to lose their faith after He was gone. He promised to send the Spirit of Truth, the Counselor.

Don’t let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There is more than enough room in my father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I will prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going. (John14:1-4)

Jesus prayed not only for His disciples but also for you and me. “I am praying for these disciples and all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:20-21).

Jesus emphasized the importance of unity in Oneness. According to Kristi McLelland, one of the authors of When You Pray,

Oneness is the way of the kingdom of God in the world. It’s a Gospel-centered, kingdom-oriented unity that has always been within diversity. Unity does not occur when we become the same. True, robust, healthy, and vibrant unity happens within our unique and diverse expressions. The best is expressed as a bouquet of unique flowers rather than twelve red roses. We are better together. (p.200)

Our Lord Jesus is truly unique. He prayed for us to be one. How can people live this out? By honoring Him, following His teachings and example, and living in harmony, wholeness, and delight, we become one in Christ.

It is comforting to know that Jesus did not abandon any of us. He sent the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) to remind us of Jesus’s teachings, lead us, convict us of our sins, help us remain righteous, and protect us.

“Prayer isn’t about saying what we think the Lord wants to hear from us. Prayer is an honest, intimate, and intentional reaching for the Lord in truth, in reality, in the actuality of our lives as they are.” (McLelland, 2023).

Prayer is a conversation with the Lord. You are inviting Him into your everyday life. You are taking the focus off yourself and placing it on God. Prayer is about being quiet before the Lord and listening to Him.

Friends, you may be experiencing some life storm and feel abandoned, confused, or rejected. Be encouraged; Jesus knew we would experience trials and tribulations like the disciples. That is why Jesus prayed this beautiful prayer for us and sent the Holy Spirit to help us, teach us, and remind us who Jesus is as well as who we are. We are never alone.

My prayer is not for the world but for those you have given me because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now, I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. (John 17:9-11)

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness even when I am unfaithful. Thank you, Lord, for your love for me and all humanity. Teach me how to keep my eyes on You and Your Word. Thank you for the Holy Spirit whom you sent to teach us, correct us, advocate for us, guide us, and remind us that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Sometimes, it’s hard to love those who do not love us and have hurt us. But with Your help, guidance, and grace, I will look at each of those people through Your eyes of love—Your unconditional love. You said to love one another: family, friends, and even our enemies. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reference

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation. (1996). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Foundation.
McLelland, K. (2023). [Sketch of the Last Supper] Lifeway Press. Brentwood, TN. (It’s a When You Pray)
McLelland, K. (2023, September). Prayers that Unify. [Video]. http://www.lifeway.com/Whenyoupray