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 have sent me.
they all.
John 17:11,22,23 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are…
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Jeremiah 32:39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
as.
John 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
John 10:30,38 I and my Father are one…
John 14:9-11 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? …
that the.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You
This phrase highlights the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son, a central tenet of Trinitarian theology. The mutual indwelling signifies perfect harmony and shared purpose. This relationship is foundational to understanding the nature of God as revealed in the New Testament. The Gospel of John frequently emphasizes this unity, as seen in John 10:30, "I and the Father are one." This unity serves as a model for the relationship believers are to have with God and each other.
May they also be in Us
Here, Jesus extends the divine relationship to include believers, inviting them into the fellowship of the Trinity. This inclusion signifies a profound spiritual union, as believers are called to partake in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The concept of being "in Christ" is a key Pauline theme, indicating a transformative relationship that affects identity and purpose. This union is both a present reality and a future hope, as believers grow in their relationship with God.
so that the world may believe that You sent Me
The purpose of this unity is missional, serving as a testimony to the world. The unity of believers is meant to reflect the truth of Jesus' divine mission and the reality of God's love. In John 13:35, Jesus states, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." The early church's growth, as recorded in Acts, was partly due to the compelling witness of their unity and love. This phrase underscores the evangelistic power of a unified church, as it embodies the message of reconciliation and redemption.
“that all of them may be one” (John 17:21a) is Jesus’ clear desire for every believer—Jew and Gentile, young and old, leaders and laity—to live in practical, visible unity.
• Unity does not mean uniformity; it is the shared life of Christ expressed through diverse members (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
• The early church demonstrated this when “All the believers were one in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32).
• Paul urges the same spirit: “Make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3-6).
The point is simple: when Jesus looks at His church, He longs to see one family, not competing tribes.
“as You, Father, are in Me” (John 17:21b) sets the standard for that unity—the intimate relationship between Father and Son.
• Jesus and the Father share perfect harmony: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
• Their oneness is relational, not merely structural; the Father’s will, love, and purpose flow through the Son (John 14:10-11).
• Our unity is measured against that divine pattern, calling us beyond surface agreement into heart-level fellowship.
“and I am in You” (John 17:21c) highlights the Son’s continual, loving submission to the Father.
• Jesus never acted independently: “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19).
• This mutual indwelling assures us that the Father’s fullness dwells bodily in Christ (Colossians 2:9).
• As the Son delights in the Father, so believers are invited into delighting, serving, and obeying together.
“May they also be in Us” (John 17:21d) opens the door for believers to share in the divine fellowship.
• Jesus promised, “On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you” (John 14:20).
• Through faith we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
• Practically, this means:
– Abiding: “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you” (John 15:4).
– Fellowship: “Indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
– Security: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Unity grows as we consciously live from that shared life.
“so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21e) unveils the mission behind the unity.
• A watching world takes the gospel seriously when believers love one another: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
• Jesus repeats the same thought two verses later: “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me” (John 17:23).
• The Jerusalem church’s shared life led outsiders to faith daily (Acts 2:42-47).
• Our unity acts like a living billboard that shouts, “Jesus is real, and His Father truly sent Him!”
John 17:21 reveals Jesus’ heart: believers share the same oneness that the Father and Son enjoy, by abiding together in the triune fellowship, so that an unbelieving world sees undeniable evidence that the Father sent the Son. Unity is therefore not optional; it is both our inheritance in Christ and our most compelling testimony to the world.
(21) That they all may be one--i.e., both "these" (the Apostles) and "them also which shall believe on Me through their word" (the whole body of believers in all times and places). He expresses in this grand thought of the unity of the whole Church the fulness of the purpose of His prayer.As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.--The insertion of "art," which, as the italics show, is not in the original text, weakens the sense. It is better, therefore, to omit it. The word "one," in the second clause, is of doubtful authority, and has the appearance of a gloss. The probable reading, therefore, is, That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; and the meaning is that the union of the Church may be of the same essential nature as that between the Father and the Son; yea, that the union of the Church may result from the union of individual members with the Father through the Son. (Comp. John 14:23; John 15:4-10, et al.) The Father in the Son and the Son in the Father; both Father and Son taking up their abode in the believer, and the believer, therefore, in the Father and the Son. This is the ideal of the unity of the Church of Christ; and if this union with God is realised by each individual, it necessarily follows that all the individuals will be one with each other. (Comp. Notes on Ephesians 4:4 et seq.)
That the world may believe that thou hast sent me.--The result of the union of believers with God, and therefore with each other, will be that the world will see in it a proof of the divine origin of Christianity, and will believe that the Father sent the Son into the world. As this will be the result, it is thought of as the purpose of the prayer for the whole body of believers. Instances of this result crowd involuntarily upon the mind. The brotherhood of Christians has ever been the witness to their common Fatherhood in God. The divisions of Christendom have ever been the weakness of the Church and the proof to the world that, in that they are divided, they cannot be of God. (Comp. Note on John 13:35.)
Verse 21. - That they all may be one. My prayer is that the many may become one, form one living glorious unity; - every part of which spiritual organism, while living a separate and differentiated life, is yet a part of a whole. In the natural sphere, as the parts of a whole organism are mere and more developed, and increasingly resemble individualities in their separation, they are in the same proportion dependent on the whole for the life that is in them. Even in a highly organized community, as the separate individuals have more and more personal consciousness of special function, they become the more dependent on the whole, and in one sense lost in the unity to which they belong. The branches in the vine form together one vine; the members of a body, being many, are one body and members of one another. It is open to discussion whether the καθὼς clause, which here follows, characterizes the above statement, as Meyer and many others urge, or whether, with Godet, the sentence, "That they all may be one," should not be taken as a general statement, to be followed by the καθὼς clause, which characterizes the following words. The first method is a more rational interpretation, nor does the sentence drag. According as thou, Father, (art) in me, and I (am) in thee; i.e. the relation between the Father and Son, the manner in which the Father lives in the Son, as in his organ or instrument of manifestation and object of supreme affection, and as the Son is in the Father, abiding ever in the light of his glory, in the power of his Name, and as these two are thus One in being, so, or similarly, the believers are to live in and for each other, becoming a unity, just as the Father and Son are unity. In order that they themselves also may be [one] in us. This ἵνα does not offer a parallel sentence in apposition with the former, nor is the "that" to be inverted, with Godet, who translates, "that according as thou.., they also may be one in us;" but it is the climax of the whole unifying process, after the likeness of the union between the Father and the Son, viz. that they themselves may be included in this unity. Though they are thus to be lost in God, yet they do not lose their own individuality. Nay, in proportion to their organic relation to the fullness of the Godhead and the completeness of their own spiritual fellowship with one another, will this personal consciousness of theirs become more and more pronounced. There is yet a further process contemplated, viz. in order that the world may believe (πιστεύῃ, as in the next verse; γινώσκῃ, in the present subjunctive, rather than the aorist) that thou didst send me. The spiritual life and unity of the Church will produce an impression on the world which now rejects the Christ and does not appreciate his Divine commission. The union which springs from the blended life of the various and even contradictory elements in the Church will prove the reality of its origin. The world will believe, - this is the final purpose of the intercession concerning the disciples; so though above he did not pray for the world as the then immediate object of his intercession, the poor world is in his heart, and the saving of the world the end of his incarnation. If the union between the Father and the Son is the sublime type of the union between those who shall believe, it is not the union of a great society in accordance with certain invincible rules of affiliation and government. The union between the Father and Son is not a visible manifestation, but a spiritual inference. The common indwelling in the Father and Son, the identity of the spiritual emotion and purpose in all who have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, will convince the world by producing a similar inference. Alford: "This unity is not mere outward uniformity, nor can such uniformity produce it. At the same time, its effects are to be real and visible, such that the world may see them."