John 17:20–23

Context

Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John records the prayer Jesus offered to the Father after the Last Supper. It follows his farewell teaching to the disciples (chapters 13–16) and comes just before his arrest (chapter 18). It is commonly called the "High Priestly Prayer." The prayer generally falls into three parts. Verses 1–5 are a prayer for Jesus himself, verses 6–19 a prayer for the disciples who were with him, and verses 20–26 a prayer for those who would believe in the future. In verse 20, "them also which shall believe on me through their word" refers to later believers who would come to faith by hearing the disciples' testimony. At this point the scope of the prayer widens from the disciples before him to the whole church that would follow.

Interpretation

• Trinitarian reading: The unity of believers is modeled on the relationship between the Father and the Son: "as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee." Many interpreters read the mutual indwelling within the Trinity, in which each dwells in the other, as the archetype of the church's unity.
• Missional reading: The purpose of unity is "that the world may believe" and "that the world may know." On this view, the church's unity is a condition of its gospel witness. This passage is often invoked in support of the argument that a divided church can hardly present the gospel to the world as credible.
• Ecumenical reading: The ecumenical movement has taken "that they all may be one" as grounds for pursuing visible church unity. The Latin rendering ut omnes unum sint ("that all may be one") is reported to have served as a motto for a number of church unity movements.
• Conservative evangelical and Reformed reading: This unity is understood not as organizational merger but as the spiritual oneness of believers united with Christ in the same truth. Reading the passage together with verse 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth," interpreters in this tradition hold that union without doctrinal agreement is not what the prayer intends.
• The meaning of "glory": Interpreters differ over what is meant by the "glory" that Jesus says in verse 22 he has given the disciples. Proposed meanings include the revelation that makes the Father known, the glory displayed through the cross, and the Holy Spirit. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this glory is sometimes connected with deification (theosis), participation in the life of God.

Debates and Issues

The debate concerns how the passage is applied more than what it means. In Korea, participation in the World Council of Churches (WCC) was one of the main issues in the 1959 Presbyterian schism. In the subsequent WCC controversy, those who favor participation cite this passage as grounds for union. Those opposed counter that a union that glosses over theological differences is contrary to the intent of the prayer.

There is also a textual question. In verse 21, at the words "in us," some manuscripts include the word "one" a second time while others omit it. The difference, however, is generally considered not to affect the overall meaning significantly.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently cited on occasions that emphasize unity, such as joint Easter services in which multiple denominations gather together and events held by interdenominational organizations.

Related Passages

• John 17:11 (the petition for unity within the prayer for the disciples)
• John 10:16
• Ephesians 4:3–6
• 1 Corinthians 1:10
• 1 Corinthians 12:13