and that the world may know that You have sent Me,
and have loved them as You have loved Me.
Even though I treasure reading about the last moments of Jesus’ earthly life with His friends, at the same time, my heart aches. He knew all that was about to happen to Him. Within hours of this last time together, He knew:
And yet, somehow, He was focused enough to stay very present in this moment instead of living in dread of the horrific moments to come.
It astounds me how present and giving Jesus was during the Last Supper. Jesus and the disciples ate, drank and talked together. He washed their feet. He watched Judas walk out the door.
Then He prayed. For Himself, for the disciples … and for you and me.
The fact that Jesus thought of and prayed for us in these final hours also astounds me. I need to read what He prayed. But even more importantly, I need to live what He prayed: “that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23).
Of all the many things He could have prayed for us, it was unity and love.
This feels a bit complicated in our world that is divided on issues where many have loud opinions, express strong objections, and feel very justified in getting offended by almost anything.
I get it. There’s a lot of wrong that should be addressed, justice that should be defended, and evil that should be stopped. There’s also so much we don’t understand or have answers for.
But when I reflect on Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, I wonder if there’s a more unified way we, as Christians, are supposed to be doing this. We have an enemy, but it’s not each other. In light of Jesus’ last prayer for us before He went to the cross, I wonder if we all need to remember this: While we can be divided in our opinions, we can be a little more united in our compassion for one another.
After all, so much of what shapes the opinions and objections we express comes from some deep pain we’ve felt or walked through with someone we love. Hurt shapes us for better or worse.
Jesus knew this. He had all the answers, and yet He still wept (John 11:35). Maybe that’s why He prayed for unity. Maybe it’s not the kind of unity where we all agree about everything but where, in the middle of disagreements, we can remember we are all carriers of pain and sorrow. Even if we don’t see eye to eye, surely we are so very alike in what makes us cry.
Even if we are completely divided on some opinions and ideas, we can remember we’re so very united in our tears and our love for Jesus. And in that shared commonality, believers show the world that with Jesus, unity and peace are possible.
You see, when there is that kind of unity between us, the world looks a lot more beautiful around us. And others will know by our unity and love that Jesus was sent by God to redeem the world.
Today, may we each choose to embrace a God-honoring unity and love in our lives. We honor Him most when we live His prayer.
Father God, You long for me to receive and live out the love of Jesus. For me to walk in unity and love. Help me tear down barriers of judgment and hatred. Help me hold to Your Truth and walk in Your grace while sincerely loving others. Through Your healing, help me to connect with others, human to human, no matter where I may be on my journey. May my heart be softened and my life be changed by Your call to unity and love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Lysa TerKeurst
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"