that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prayer isn't just for believers to get along; it's for their unity to mirror the intimate, life-giving union between the Father and the Son. This profound, shared life within God is what's meant to be so compellingly evident to the world that it leads them to believe in Jesus' divine mission.
that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is praying for all future believers, not just the disciples present. He asks the Father that these believers would be united with each other, just as Jesus and the Father are united, so that this profound oneness would serve as compelling evidence to the world that Jesus was sent by God.
Jesus prays for believers to be 'one.' But what kind of oneness? It's not just agreement; it mirrors the very unity within the Godhead.
Jesus draws a profound parallel in His prayer: 'just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you.' This isn't a weak, moral agreement. It's a deep, vital unity, reflecting the inseparable relationship between the Father and the Son.
Jesus links the unity of His followers directly to the world's belief in Him. How can our togetherness be a powerful witness?
The ultimate goal of this divine unity isn't just internal harmony; it's evangelistic power. Jesus states it plainly: 'so that the world may believe that you have sent me.'
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Understand the original words
patēr · Greek Noun
The title Jesus uses for God, emphasizing the intimate, relational, and eternal Father-Son bond within the Trinity and the believers' adopted relationship with God through Christ.
heis · Greek Adjective/Numeral
A state of unity, concord, or wholeness; in a theological context, it refers to the spiritual union of believers with God and with one another, modeled after the unity of the Godhead.
kosmos · Greek Noun
The world system alienated from God, often characterized by rebellion, darkness, and ignorance of divine truth; those who live apart from God's grace.
pisteuō · Greek Verb
To place faith in, trust, or rely upon; specifically, the act of accepting the testimony regarding Jesus Christ's identity and mission as the Savior sent by the Father.
apostellō · Greek Verb
The act of God the Father commissioning and dispatching the Son into the human experience for the purpose of salvation.
This passage describes the early believers being of one heart and soul, directly reflecting the unity Christ prayed for in John 17:21 and showing a real-world example of the prayer's desired outcome.
1 Corinthians 1:10Paul's plea for unity among the Corinthians, urging them to be of 'the same mind and the same judgment,' echoes Jesus' prayer for unity, highlighting the persistent challenge of division within the church.
Ephesians 4:3-6This passage outlines the 'unity of the Spirit' that believers are called to maintain, emphasizing foundational truths like one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God, which are essential for the unity Christ envisioned.
1 John 4:7-8John connects love with God, stating that 'everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God' and that 'whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.' This highlights how love, a fruit of divine unity, is the very evidence that draws others to God.
cambridgeJohn 17:21: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."
21 . That they all may be one ] This is the purpose rather than the purport of the prayer: Christ prays for blessings for His Church with this end in view,—that all may be one. as ] Or, even as . The unity of believers is like the unity of the Father with the Son ( John 10:30 ), not a merely moral unity of disposition and purpose,…
jfbJohn 17:21: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."
- that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us—The indwelling Spirit of the Father and the Son is the one perfect bond of union, knitting up into a living unity, first all believers amongst themselves; next, this unity into one still higher, with the Father and the Son. (Observe…
The prayer isn't just for believers to get along; it's for their unity to mirror the intimate, life-giving union between the Father and the Son. This profound, shared life within God is what's meant to be so compellingly evident to the world that it leads them to believe in Jesus' divine mission.
Jesus is praying for all future believers, not just the disciples present. He asks the Father that these believers would be united with each other, just as Jesus and the Father are united, so that this profound oneness would serve as compelling evidence to the world that Jesus was sent by God.
Jesus is praying for all future believers, not just the disciples present. He asks the Father that these believers would be united with each other, just as Jesus and the Father are united, so that this profound oneness would serve as compelling evidence to the world that Jesus was sent by God.
"that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." — The prayer isn't just for believers to get along; it's for their unity to mirror the intimate, life-giving union between the Father and the Son. This profound, shared life within God is what's meant…
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Last reviewed October 2026