Ironic Timing

Have you ever thought how amazingly ironic it is that Jesus’ great prayer of unity and oneness in John 17 comes immediately before his crossing the Kidron Valley to the olive grove where he would be betrayed, denied, arrested, captured by soldiers, and ushered into the multiple miseries that accompany him at the end of his passion week?



Here in John 17 Jesus is praying for himself, “glorify your Son, that your son may glorify you,”  his disciples, “protect them by the power of your name,”  and all believers, the apex being verse 23, “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

But within hours of this prayer each phrase would be put to the test. Here Jesus is praying for unity, when in the final few days of his earthly life it would be anything but unity. The confusion on the streets runs rampant, from the high priest to the Roman governor to the crowds and even among the disciples.  Unity? Hardly visible—until his arms are outstretched in love on the cross.

Unity is the central theme of Jesus’ prayer. Unity of the Godhead. Unity among the disciples. Unity for all the believers. Unity. Oneness. Love.

Unity among the believing community. Have we made any significant progress since Jesus gave voice to that prayer 21 centuries ago? It’s never too late. Choose today to be a uniter and not a divider. Make a decision this Lent to unite the faith community right where you live. Build a bridge of love and mercy. Reach out to a leader in another denomination. Pray for those in the church down the street—by name and with sincerity. Invite someone of a different culture or ethnicity to lunch or coffee. Do whatever it takes to fulfill Jesus’ prayer today.

How ironic. How timely. How so like Jesus.

This entry also appears in Conversations Journal Blog.

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Steve Macchia

Founder & President

Steve is a graduate of Northwestern College (IA) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div. and D.Min.). His prior ministry includes serving on the pastoral staff at Grace Chapel (Lexington, MA) and as president of Vision New England. Since July 1, 2003 Steve has served as founder and president of Leadership Transformations, director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building, and adjunct faculty in the Doctor of Ministry department at Gordon-Conwell. He is the author of sixteen books, including The Discerning Life (Zondervan Reflective),  Baker bestseller Becoming a Healthy Church, and Crafting a Rule of Life (IVP). He lives in the Boston area with his wife Ruth and is the proud father of two grown children, Rebekah and Nathan, daughter in-love Ashley, and papa to his beloved granddaughter, Brenna Lynn and twin grandsons, Aiden Joseph and Carson Stephen. “My soul comes alive singing the great hymns of the church and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. I’m in awe of God for fulfilling the dream for LTI that he birthed in my heart, for the team he has assembled, and the transformational impact experienced in the leaders and teams we serve.

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