[Mrs. Don-o]

"I cannot escape that Jesus is saying that when the world sees the unity of Christians it will know that He was sent by the Father, and that the Father loves both the Son and the followers of the Son. This is seen so clearly in the reverse: when they see discord, disunity, disarray, then it easy for the world to dismiss us, the Father, and the Son. They say, "Those people are always fighting each other; who wants to be a part of that?"

This is a profound statement, xzins, and I love you for posting it.

To me, it's an if...then statement. Just like:

"If we forgive those who trespass against you, then Our Father will forgive us our trespasses",

He also says:

If the Church is in unity, then the world will know that You (the Father) sent Me."

That's how the Christians were defined in the beginning: "See these Christians, how they love one another."

The unity of Christians is either a "picture" of the unity of the Trinity, or, disunified, we are a "picture" of something else. Something menacing, disturbing, repellent and ugly.

Just a long way of saying... YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THAT!

[xzins]

See these Christians how they love each other

That is another gem that comes out of that passage. Thank you.

Also, and I love this one, also from John 17: When the world sees that unity and love, it is so shocking, so unique, so other-worldly, that in amazement their mind jumps to "whatever the source of that is, I want some of it."

John 17:23b "Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." World will know...you...

Our unity would prove God.

(Which is probably why the enemy fights so hard to foment disunity.)