Literally hundreds of prophecies are recorded in the Old Testament concerning the coming of an “anointed one,” or Messiah. Beginning with Genesis 3:15 and subsequent to the fall of man, they speak of a Messiah, a Savior, who would one day be sent from God to destroy the serpent, abolish evil, and redeem mankind. In so doing, the Savior will restore man to a place of prominence in the divine order and, more than that, to a personal relationship with his Creator. In addition, the prophecies point to a coming Savior who would not only deliver the Jewish people from destruction but grant to people from every nation, tribe, and tongue the gift of eternal life as well.
The question, however, has always been, Who is the Savior and how will we know? According to Christ, the answer to these questions will be plainly manifest in and through the unity of believers: “If they [we] will be one,” he prayed, then “the world [will] know that You sent Me.” Yes, if we unite as one in mind, love, spirit, and purpose, the world will experientially understand that he is truly the Savior of the world. For only the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, can redeem mankind—men and women from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue—and unite them as one before the Father, thereby establishing peace on earth, goodwill toward men. In this sense, his use of the word sent, a translation of the Greek word apostollos is intentional. As we have already seen (John 17:4) and here again (John 17:23), Jesus is referring to himself as the personal, authoritative representative of God in language these men clearly would have understood.
In addition and through the oneness of future followers, Christ foresees that “the world will know that You love them.” Although today we take this for granted, we should remember that at the time of this prayer, the fact of God’s love for all the world was, in general, a radical concept to the Jewish mind. In that day, most Jews believed that YHWH was their God, that he loved their nation exclusively. From their perspective, then, “the Egyptians have their gods, the Hittites have their gods, the Phoenicians have their gods, and we, the Jews, have our God.” In contrast, it was not God’s love but God’s wrath that they believed would one day befall the rest of mankind. So when Christ prays for the world to “know” God’s love, he is speaking directly to the fact that salvation is not just for the Jews. And he says that all mankind will experience his love when men and women of diverse backgrounds are willing to walk together as one in Christ. In so doing, believers manifest the reality that, “He Himself is our peace, who made both groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall” (Ephesians 2:14).
On the night before he died then, Jesus Christ delivered to us the most effective means for reaching the world with the Gospel. He did not ask us to write books, bring evangelists to our cities, or put fi sh emblems on our cars. Nor did he instruct us to win the world through large churches built by and for a specifi c segment of society. For that matter, he did not pray that we would be “seeker-sensitive,” “postmodern,” “emergent,” or “purpose-driven.” Rather, he called us to be one; then, he said, the world would know God’s love and believe.
Yes, in the twenty-first century it will be the unity of diverse believers walking as one in and through the local church that will proclaim the fact of God’s love for all people more profoundly than any one sermon, book, or evangelistic crusade. And I believe the coming integration of the local church will lead to the fulfillment of the Great Commission, to people of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue coming to know him as we do.
This, then, is the core of our message. This is the prayer of Christ.
This article is reprinted in part from the book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007) by Mark DeYmaz.
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