21. — [TJiat they all. ..one in us.] The meaning of this sentence 1 take to be, " I pray that both these my disciples, and those who hereafter shall become my disciples, may all be of one mind, one doctrine, one opinion, one heart, and one practice, closely united and joined together, even as Thou, Father, and I are of one mind and one will, in consequence of that ineffable union whereby Thou art in Me and I in Thee,"
Here, as in verse 11, we must carefully remember that the unity between the Father and the Son is one which the unity of believers cannot literally attain to. They must however imitate it.
The true secret of the unity of believers lies in the expres- sion, " one in us." They can only be thoroughly " one " by be- ing joined at the same time to one Father and to one Saviour. Then they will be one with one another.
Ferus thinks that one thing in our Lord's mind in this sen- tence was the union of Jew and Gentile into one Church, and the removal of the " wall of partition."
[T7iat the world...'beUem...sent Me.] Here our Lord brings in one important reason why He prays for His people to be " one." It will help to make the world believe His Divine mission. *' When the world sees my people not quarrelling, not divided, but one in judgment, heart, and life, then the world will begin to believe that the Saviour, who has such a people, must really be a Saviour sent from God."
Let us carefully note how well our Lord foresaw the effect which the lives, ways, and opinions of professing Christians have on the world around them. The want of unity, and con- sequent strife among English Christians in the last 800 years, has been a miserable example of the enormous damage that believers may do their Master's cause by neglecting this sub- ject. " How much," says George Newton, " Our blessed Saviour and His Gospel suffer by the hot contentions of those who call themselves saints."
22. — {And the glory, etc., etc.] In this verse our Lord repeats His deep desire for the unity of His people. He declares, " that in order that they may be one. He has given them the glory which the Father gave Him." This is a very difficult expression, and one which seems to puzzle all commentators. The whole question is, what did our Lord mean by " the glory " which He gave.
(a) Some, as Calvin, think that " glory " means the image and likeness of God, by which the disciples were renewed. (3 Cor. iii. 18.)
(6) Some, as Bengel, think that "glory" means that insensi- ble power, influence, and authority, which accompanied all our Lord did and said during His earthly ministry. Thus Moses had