SUMMARY
As he ends a long prayer to his Father, JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More prays for his disciples and future believers. He asks that his followers might be unified, bearing witness to God’s love.
ANALYSIS
At the conclusion of the last night with his disciples, Jesus prays that all his followers might be one. Known as the “High Priestly Prayer” Jesus first prays for himself, his current disciples, and then his prayer looks forward to the time after his resurrection, when his disciples will bring many to faith through the witness of the gospel. Unlike MatthewA tax collector who became one of Jesus' 12 disciples. More, Mark, and LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. More where Jesus leaves his disciples to go off and pray, in John, the disciples overhear Jesus’ prayer. According to John’s Gospel, unity is an expression of love. Christians find their unity in the love they receive from God, and they express this unity in the love they give to others. John’s Gospel does not assume that Christian unity requires any one form of church organization. All of Jesus’ followers are simply known as “disciples” in John’s Gospel. Unity happens wherever Christians are commonly rooted in the love of Christ, and it is expressed whenever Christians join together in love and witness.
