John‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Jesus’ final recorded prayer before the cross was not about comfort, safety, or success.

It was about unity.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” (John 17:20, NIV)

Jesus prayed for us—men who would believe through the testimony of others—and He prayed for one thing above all else: that we would be one.

Jesus makes an extraordinary claim:

“That all of them may be one… so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21, NIV)

The credibility of the gospel is not proven by arguments alone.
It is validated by love expressed through unity.

Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, and He has commanded His people to declare God’s love—revealed in His life, death, and resurrection—to all people everywhere, calling everyone to repentance, faith, and obedience.

But the world does not merely hear our message.
It watches our relationships.

The proof that we ourselves have repented, believed, and obeyed is not volume or visibility—it is how we love one another.

Jesus grounds our unity in the very nature of God:

“Just as you are in me and I am in you… I in them and you in me.” (John 17:21–23, NIV)

The Father sent the Son.
The Son gave His life for the world.
The Holy Spirit now works in the world to restore people to God.

This is one God, one mission, one message—working together in perfect unity.

And the people of God are called to reflect that same oneness.

When believers divide over pride, preference, power, or secondary issues, the gospel appears fractured. But when believers stand together in humility, love, and shared mission, the world sees something it cannot explain away.

Jesus says that unity leads to something powerful:

“Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:23, NIV)

Unity does not dilute truth.
Unity amplifies it.

One message.
One Savior.
One people—working together so that all people in all places may be reconciled to God.

This is how the people of God most clearly reflect the image of God and obey His command to go into all the world and make disciples.

Guard unity.
Pursue love.
Commit to the mission together.

Run Today’s Play: Set aside pride. Refuse division. Speak the same gospel. Walk in the same obedience.

Because when God’s people love one another in unity, the world doesn’t just hear about Jesus—it sees Him.

And that kind of witness changes everything.