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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder if you notice something very interesting in American culture, and perhaps many cultures of the world? In times of crisis, people band together. They put aside their differences and join together to fight the common enemy. Have you seen this in recent months in the fight against COVID-19 in countries all over the world?
But there’s a flip side to this phenomenon of unity in crisis. And we are beginning to see it now as countries begin to slowly emerge from the darkness and deep fear of Caronavirus. Disunity, discord, disagreement, selfishness, even conflict emerges. The very same people who a few weeks ago were working so closely together to defeat COVID-19, are now reverting to their personal agendas and demanding that restrictions be removed so they can return to life as normal. It’s a very interesting aspect of human nature,isn’t it?
This week, we’re walking with Jesus’ friends as they return to Galilee from Jerusalem following Passover week and the remarkable events of what we call Easter. I’m inviting us to consider that John especially was deep in thought, reflecting on the words Jesus spoke and John wrote in John 17, only hours before His crucifixion. Let’s pick it up in John 17:20 where John reports that Jesus prayed: “My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Do you see yourself in vs 20? If you have trusted Jesus to be your Savior, then you are among those Jesus was praying for in vs 20 because, you have believed in the message of those disciples who passed on the story of Jesus to the next generations, all the way to us! It’s similar to when Jesus was on the cross and He was looking down through time to see His global Church, which would be purchased by His sacrifice! (Heb. 12:1,2) When you consider the miracle of the global and timeless Church, the people of God of all time, it’s nothing short of miraculous!
Now imagine if it were actually possible for you and me to walk with John and the disciples, Mary and the women, along that dusty Palestinian road, back to the Galilee region, even though we are separated by 2000 years. Look around at those we are walking with… there’s Peter, Andrew, James, Matthew, Thomas, Philip… and over there is Mary Magdelene, Mary the mother of Jesus, Salome and other women. If it were possible to walk with them, how differently we’d be dressed, and we’d be talking different languages. We’d have cell phones in our pockets and the benefit of 2 millennia of history. But it’s a picture my friends, of the unity in the timeless people of God!
As the eyes of God roam across the face of planet earth today, and then think of it… as He expands His gaze in time, to include the Church from all generations, can we imagine what God sees?
One huge group of people, Jews and Gentiles, from many different ethnic backgrounds, speaking many different heart languages, from almost every corner of our world…, but ALL ONE PEOPLE, God’s people! Billions of individuals, each purchased by the blood of Jesus, each forgiven of our sin by God the Father, each ‘born again’ by the Holy Spirit of God… and all of us, from all time, the family of God, will end up in heaven together with Him! Now my friends, that’s the UNITY Jesus was praying about! He prayed “My prayer is… that all of them may be one, Father…” Do you see it my friends, it’s glorious! It’s a grand celebration of what’s possible in Jesus!!
Do you see Jesus made no mention of skin color or language. No mention of nationality or ethnicity. Not even Baptist or Presbyterian or Lutheran or Catholic or Methodist. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not the doctrinal statements of men and women, that unites God’s people!
Now don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting syncretism, that we disregard our differences and blend all together into some grand religious melting pot. Nor am I suggesting there are no very important and clear differences between the groups mentioned. What I am suggesting is this: Jesus prayed for UNITY among those who are authentically born again followers of Jesus Christ. That unity is rooted in Jesus and is possible only because of Jesus. That’s why Jesus prayed “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.” (John 17:23)
What is this ‘complete unity’ in Jesus Christ? And how does it show the world that Jesus was sent to earth by God to love the world on God’s behalf? May I suggest ‘complete unity’ is unity of mind, how we think when we think with the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:10-16). The unity of heart, how we feel united in Christ (Ephes. 2:13-18). The unity of agreement on God’s truth (Eph. 4:1-6). May I call it living in ‘full alignment’ with God? And when we do that, the world sees the miracle of a people transformed by the power of Jesus, united and led by His Holy Spirit, drawing us into oneness with Almighty, Holy God as our Father!
Do you see how Jesus also prayed for the ultimate end, when all God’s people are gathered together in God’s heavenly presence? “Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.” (John 17:24) Do you think, in your wildest imagination, that you have any real idea of what the new heaven and the new earth will be like, (Rev. 21:1) and eternity of God’s people all living together in perfect unity under the sovereign reign of the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19)? That’s what Jesus had in mind when He prayed this.
Then finally, Jesus prayed “Righteous Father… I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love you have for Me may be in them, and that I Myself may be in them.” (John 17:25,26) Would you consider this my friends: as Jesus returned to heaven, the way He continues to making God known here on earth is THROUGH you and me, redeemed followers of Jesus! That’s right friends. You and I, where-ever we are anywhere in our world, are the living representatives of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. 5:20) Here’s a radical thought… God’s desire is that the people who know you, are drawn to God in much the same way as if it was Jesus living in your house, even Jesus living in your skin! Did you hear Jesus pray “…that I myself may be IN them.”
For John and the disciples, Mary and the women, we can assume they’d been to Jerusalem for Passover almost every year of their lives, and then they made this same journey back home to Galilee. But this time was different from all previous times. This time they had talked the whole way, about Jesus and all that had transpired this Passover/Easter week. They were different people now, and I think they were on the lookout for when they might see the risen Jesus next.
Why do I say that? Because He had said to the women on that Easter Sunday morning “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me“. (Matt. 28:10) I think as they came over the rise and caught their first glimpse of Lake Galilee an excitement rose up within them. Soon, very soon, they would see Him again. And we’ll join them in that experience later this week.
My friends, are we living with the same anticipation that soon, very soon, we will see Jesus as He returns to gather up His global Church? Are we living in the unity that Jesus prayed for, and are we drawing everyone we know to HIM?
Oh Lord Jesus thank you for the privilege of living in unity…
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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