That the World May Believe

At the end of His prayer in John 17, Jesus brings all His requests together in a few powerful lines. He first prays for His apostles, that they would be made holy and set apart for God's work through the truth of His word (v. 19). This "sanctifying" means more than simply being moral–it means being specially equipped and dedicated for the mission Jesus gives them: to preach the gospel once He has returned to the Father.

But Jesus does not stop with them. He looks far ahead into the future and prays for all who will believe through the message of the apostles (v. 20). This is remarkable, because it includes every Christian from the first century until today. Before going to the cross, Jesus thought about us, and He asked the Father to bless our faith that would be born from the testimony of those first preachers and writers.

The heart of His request is that all believers "may be one" just as He and the Father are one (v. 21). This is not about uniformity in every opinion or practice, but about a spiritual unity that reflects the oneness of God Himself. When Christians share the same faith in Christ, the same love for one another, and the same hope of eternal life, they display God's character to the world.

The purpose of this unity is mission. Jesus prays that the unity of His followers will serve as living evidence "so that the world may believe" that the Father sent Him. In other words, the credibility of the gospel is tied to the visible oneness of God's people. When believers are divided, the message is weakened; when believers are united, the message shines brightly.

So, in these closing words, Jesus ties together sanctification, mission, unity, and faith. His death will make all of this possible, His apostles will proclaim it, and generations of believers will carry it forward. And even now, the world is meant to look at the church and see the truth of Christ's prayer being realized by His disciples.