Some Thoughts on Jesus and Modern Ecumenism

And I do not pray for these alone, but for those also who shall believe on Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And I have given them the glory which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one, I in them, and You in Me, 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. (Joh 17:20-23 MKJV)

 

A Divine Concern

One of the first things we should recognize is the obvious, the fact that Jesus thought “being one” was worthy enough to make it into His public prayer life. It is the public prayers of Christ that most readily attract our attention and these usually surround events of great importance. Occasions like Gethsemane immediately come to mind. We should have no doubt that anything Jesus openly addressed in prayer, was a concern to Him, and in turn, should be a concern to us. It is also worth noting that the concerns Jesus addressed at the time, had no real immediate relevance, suggesting to us that the prayer foresaw a time in the future, when “being one” would eventually become a pressing concern.  That being said, Jesus’ prayer did also include those disciples present, “And I do not pray for these alone,” which also suggests that such concerns over “being one” would present itself in the immediate near future. At this point, the question that begs asking is why, why of all the things that may have preoccupied the Savior at the time, does He seem to pray so vehemently for unity?

 

A Divine Definition

Today, it is unfortunate to look upon all the division we see in the Body of Christ, most of which begins primarily on doctrinal grounds. However, the question is whether what we perceive in a divisional sense today, was in fact, what Jesus was concerned with when He prayed that we be one. In Jesus’ prayer He reiterates twice a theme that seems to characterize His concern. Jesus in essence prays that His disciples, present and future, would have an oneness equal to that illustrated in the trinity itself,  specifically in order that the world might believe that Jesus had come from the Father. To instruct fellow believers to be one as Christ was in the Father and the Father was in the Son, is quite remarkable. On the surface, it would not appear that the oneness was a reference to a theological persuasion, but that is not to say that Jesus and the Father were inseparable as such. Jesus repetitious use of the word “in” seems to be a dominant characteristic of His appeal. The word “in” becomes significant, because in chapter sixteen Jesus has just finished speaking of the coming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This fits well into Jesus’ analogy. The world knew the Father was in Christ because of the power that proceeded from Christ in the works He performed, these testified of one working greater within Him. It is worth noting that on more than one occasion Jesus appeals to the works He is performing as a testimony to the power within Him, and that the acts He performed were a direct revelation from the Father. If one takes at face value what is being said, and considers the context of what Jesus has just previously said, it appears that Jesus is referring to oneness as a cause and effect, not a scenario for potential theological differences. It would not be a stretch to paraphrase Jesus this way, “Father, let them be one in us, as I am one in you, let the power which flows from you to me, flow from us through them, so that the world may know they belong to us, the way they knew I belonged to you.”  Knowing that Jesus has just mentioned such a divine unity and oneness brought about through the coming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, suggests clearly that the prayer was a reference to the effectiveness of the relationship that would exists between the two.  The oneness that Jesus speaks of here, appears to be the relationship and effectual working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of His followers, essential if the world was to know that Christians had been sent from God and had been deliberately empowered to bear witness of Him.

 

A Developing Disaster

This brings us to consider the divine appeal and the implications themselves. One unmistakable aspect of Christ’ ministry was that if it had not been for the miracles and supernatural working of God’s Spirit through Him, no one would have given Him the time of day. This would become even more critical as His disciple began to go out on His behalf after the ascension. That being said, after all these years, how critical would you suppose that dynamic is today? According to Jesus, millions going out without the power of God evident and flowing through their lives, is absolutely fruitless and pointless. Jesus knew the stubbornness of the human heart, He knew of the veil over the mind, and more importantly, He knew it would take something more to convince a lost world than just the mere words of men. Now this is not to say we are all to manifest miracles as Christ and the early apostles, but it is to say there is to be a clear outward working of an inward unmistakable divine dynamic based on our becoming one with Him. While we focus on unity as what each one believes differently, Jesus’ concern was that He would be in us, like God’s Spirit was in Him, and that the fruit of that oneness would be that the world could witness the power of God and know He sent us. Unfortunately we have become a people of thoughts and ideas, rather than a people who possess and emanate the power of the living God wherever we go. The developing disaster is characterized by an emphasis on going, rather than on the nature of who is going. Our prayer today should be as Jesus prayed then, Lord, make us one with you and let the power of that oneness be evident to all, Lord may others be drawn to your power working in me! Jesus’ prayer was simple, Father don’t let them attempt anything without being one with Me, which explains much of the mess we have today.

 

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

2/26/2015