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.  John 17:23, NKJV

"I have a dream."  More than 60 years ago, those famous four words cast a moving vision for equality and unity in a sorely divided country.  Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream for brotherhood regardless of skin color or social status was really an expression of a broader dream that our God -- the King of Kings -- holds for His people today.  Listen to Jesus pouring out His heart's deepest desires in prayer for future generations of His followers:  “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You” (Jn 17:21).  Yes, God has a dream too -- a dream for us to experience relational oneness that both reflects God's glory and gives God glory.

A BROKEN DREAM

Jesus' prayer for oneness encompasses way more than we might think.  First, it's a oneness that is akin to the oneness that exists within the Godhead -- "as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You" (Jn. 17:21).  It's a harmony that's heavenly, a bond built around self-giving, others-centered love.  In addition, this dream for oneness includes both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of our relationships:  "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one" (Jn. 17:23).  

God's dream is and always has been that we would enjoy right relationships with Him and with others.

From the very beginning in our Eden paradise, that's the kind of experience what we were made for!

But as soon as the vertical dimension of that oneness eroded through doubt and unbelief in Genesis 3:1-8, the horizontal experience of oneness was quick to follow suit.  Adam & Eve's blame game was a far cry from marital harmony.  Cain and Abel's brotherhood turns into a fatal sibling rivalry.  And when the builders of a sky-scraping tower forge a counterfeit oneness based on self-exaltation rather than dependence on God, their heaven-grasping attempts came to nothing.  All this relational brokenness only gave evidence of humanity's broken connection with God.  It's a sad story that we are all too familiar with, but it's a story that does make clear the road to restoration.

A DREAM RESTORED

If the dysfunction we experience in our human relationships is symptomatic of our severed connection with God, then the remedy for our horizontal brokenness lies in restoring our vertical oneness with the Lord.  And this is exactly what Jesus has in mind for us when He prays for our oneness.  In His high priestly prayer, He prays specifically about two keys that are catalysts to restoring this dream.

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. John 17:22

Exactly what "glory" was given to Jesus by the Father that was in turn given to us by Jesus?  He's referring to the glory of the Father's character, the revelation of who He is.  That was entrusted to Jesus and displayed throughout every aspect of His life on earth.  In this simple line, Jesus connects the dots and says that by revealing the Father's character to us, it actually paves the way for experiencing oneness -- "that they may be one."  When we receive God's glory, i.e. apprehend the Father's character and behold who He truly is, we will be changed into the same.  We can't help but behold the glory (character) of God and be changed by it.  Like Moses whose face shone brightly after time spent beholding the manifest glory of God on Mt. Sinai, our lives will reflect the character of God's self-giving, sacrificial love.  So how do we behold God's glory?  What Mt. Sinai can we climb to be given the revelation of God's character?  

I would submit that beholding who God is happens especially and powerfully through the Word of God.  

This Word of truth -- the truth of who God is -- has a sanctifying, transforming impact in our lives (Jn. 17:17, 19).  Every opportunity we have to receive God's Word, then, is an opportunity to receive the sanctifying revelation of God's character, a glory that paves the way for oneness.

I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one. John 17:23

 Here's the second key to relational oneness.  The harmony we seek in our human relationships only happens as a by-product of an abiding relationship with God.  That's more than mere acquaintance with Christ, a touch-and-go awareness, or occasional program attendance.  Phrases like "I in them" and "one in Us" (v. 21) imply a union that is deep and real.

Being united to Christ in the truest sense is the pre-requisite for being united with others in the truest sense.

When we're united to Christ, we've let self be crucified and sin be laid to the grave.  All the attitudes, tendencies, habits that make for relational brokenness and dysfunction no longer define us or have dominion over us.  When we abide and remain in relationship with Jesus as it is our privilege to, we will bear a different kind of fruit in our lives -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).  And that's the stuff that makes for oneness.

No matter where we find ourselves in experiencing the reality of relational brokenness, let's find hope in the fact that Jesus has prayed for our oneness.  And day by day, let's allow the prayer of Jesus to be answered in our lives!  May we open our hearts to behold the beautiful character of God revealed in His Word and seek an abiding relationship with the One who makes our human relationships whole.