Tomorrow is Easter VII. We've been reading from the Gospel of John throughout Eastertide, and on this Sunday we hear from Chapter 17, Jesus's High Priestly Prayer. In vss. 20-26, Jesus prays for "those who will come after," meaning us. His prayer, interestingly, is not that everyone will come to know Him - that actually comes second. His prayer is first for unity among believers, so the the "world" (unbelievers in the Fourth Gospel, i.e., all those outside the believing community) may believe. In other words, unity comes first as a tool for evangelism.
Of course, the Fourth Gospel uses the simplest words (even in the Greek) - "that they may all be one" and doesn't tell us what that means. What does "being one" look like? Does it mean, for example that we Christians need to all agree on everything before we go out looking for converts? Does it mean a single hierarchy? Does it mean hierarchy at all? After all, when you have hierarchy, that implies power, which some have and some do not. How does that fit into "being one"?
See for yourself.
RFSJ
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