Intentional FaithWhen Love Becomes the Mission
A Day in the Life
There are moments in the life of Jesus that feel almost too holy to touch, and John 17 is one of them. We are allowed to listen in as the Son speaks to the Father just hours before the cross. The room is heavy with the knowledge of what is coming, yet Jesus does not pray for escape, strength, or even for His own relief. Instead, He prays something that still unsettles me: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” The Greek word He uses for “one” is ἕν (hen), meaning a unity so complete it forms a single reality. Jesus ties the credibility of His entire redemptive mission to whether His followers love each other well enough to live as one. That tells me something deeply uncomfortable and deeply hopeful at the same time.
I often imagine what it must have been like for the disciples to hear that prayer. They had just been arguing about greatness, misunderstanding Jesus, and jockeying for position. And yet, knowing all that, Jesus did not pray that they would be smarter, braver, or more disciplined. He prayed they would be united in love. That alone reveals how God views human relationships as part of His redemptive strategy. Scripture repeatedly links how we treat each other to how God advances His mission in the world. Jesus had already said, “Whoever receives the one I send receives Me” (John 13:20), and “Whatever you did for one of the least of these…you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40). Love between people is never merely social; it is sacramental. It becomes a visible sign of an invisible grace.
The Old Testament confirms this same pattern. Malachi tells us that God desires a husband and wife to live in covenant unity so that they might raise a “godly seed” (Malachi 2:14–15). The Hebrew phrase זֶרַע אֱלֹהִים (zera Elohim) refers not merely to biological children but to offspring shaped by faithfulness to God. God was not just protecting marriages for emotional reasons; He was protecting His mission. A fractured home produces fractured faith, but a faithful union becomes fertile soil for redemption to grow. In the same way, Paul tells us that the church is the body of Christ, and that a body at war with itself cannot function (1 Corinthians 12:12). We cannot be on mission with God while we are emotionally, spiritually, or relationally divided from one another.
What strikes me most in Jesus’ prayer is what He does not say. He does not ask the Father to give His disciples courage, clarity, or endurance. Those things matter, but Jesus understood something deeper. Unity is not a byproduct of faith; it is evidence of faith. Augustine once wrote, “Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” When love governs our relationships, fear loses its grip and the gospel gains its voice. Jesus knew that the world would never be persuaded by our theology alone; it would be convinced by our love. “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Love is not merely the fruit of discipleship; it is the proof of it.
This brings me to a sobering realization. I cannot honestly say that I love God deeply while excusing myself from loving His people faithfully. John puts it bluntly: “Whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). That verse dismantles many of my spiritual loopholes. I may feel sincere devotion in prayer or worship, but if I am unwilling to forgive, reconcile, or show patience with others, something is broken. As theologian N. T. Wright observes, “The gospel creates a new family, not just new individuals.” God is not merely saving isolated souls; He is forming a reconciled people whose shared life becomes a living testimony to the world.
This is why Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is not sentimental; it is strategic. Unity among believers is not optional for God’s mission; it is essential. When we live in love, the gospel becomes visible. When we harbor resentment, division, or contempt, we distort the message we claim to proclaim. I have to ask myself, sometimes uncomfortably, whether my relationships are making Christ more believable or less believable to those who are watching. The world does not need a more sophisticated church; it needs a more loving one.
As I walk through this prayer of Jesus, I realize that unity is not something I achieve by trying harder. It is something I receive by staying close to Christ. He prays that we would be one “in Us,” meaning our unity flows from our shared life in the Father and the Son. The more deeply I abide in Jesus, the more naturally I begin to love those He loves. That is how God’s redemptive mission quietly advances, one healed relationship at a time.
For further reading on Christian unity and its witness to the world, see this article from Christianity Today:
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/october-web-only/why-christian-unity-matters.html
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Cindy
Sofia Jade
Lorenzo M.
Praise the Lord