The Dead End of Human Fraternity, by Timothy Flanders
January 9, 2021Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation: This Joy of Mine Is Now Full
January 9, 2021
By Michael Brown, The Stream, January 8, 2021
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program.
The night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed an extended prayer that is recorded in John 17. Far and away, it is the longest prayer of Jesus of which we have the text. And it is a prayer focused on one great theme: the unity of God with His people and the unity of His people with one another. As He prayed to His Father, “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” (John 17:23).
Why was this so important to the Lord? Why did He focus on this when He was about to be betrayed, arrested, beaten, flogged and crucified? Of the millions of other things He could asked for from His Father, why did He ask for this?
Psalm 133:1 echoes the beauty and importance of this theme, stating: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” …