No Donkephants
Let’s look a little closer at this diamond in the rough, this gem of a prayer that addresses the painful divisions that divide families, groups, and nations. There are five very specific descriptors that we can unpack from John 17 (*1) :
Verse 11 - Unity, not uniformity
Verse 15 - Public, not private
Verse 17 - Substantive, not watered down
Verse 20 - Timeless, not just first century
Verse 23 - The means to an end, not the end
Jesus’ immediate context for His prayer is the small group of followers surrounding Him, and the prayer begins focused on them. But this prayer stands the test of time, which He specifically articulates in verse 20, so I believe it’s appropriate to apply it to our current donkey elephant war, especially with the reminder that my primary intended audience for this writing is those Americans who self-identify as having an affinity for Jesus.
Unity, not uniformity.
If we took Jesus’ prayer seriously and applied it to our political conflict, I don’t think Jesus is praying that all labels get wiped out. One of mankind’s very first acts, even before the train came off the tracks, was naming the things God had created, with God’s watching approval (Genesis 2:19). Jesus isn’t praying for a new hybrid animal, a donkephant. Different perspectives and different priorities are part of the asset side of the equation, not the liability side. The problem comes when what God joins together, what God sees as parts of a whole, we tear apart. The problem is demonizing the other side, rather that recognizing that we share common goals and each bring valuable ideas to the table (*2). Jesus prays that we would be aligned, not that we be alike.
Public, not private.
In case you didn’t read my last footnote, let me bring it to the forefront now. Does Jesus want unity within the various congregations and churches throughout the land? Yes, but that’s not what He prays for here. He wants our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ to go public. I am sure there are some readers who’ve adopted the viewpoint that “religion should be private.” That’s a bigger discussion than this paragraph warrants. Putting my cards on the table, I’m of the firm belief that unless followers of Christ who claim to be both elephants and donkeys find ways to drink from the same watering hole and declare a ceasefire, we’ll destroy ourselves as a nation. I’ll unpack that more later.
Substantive, not watered down.
I’ve read numerous calls for a civility pledge in response to our current, toxic environment. I don’t think that’s the solution. I’m not calling for an uncivility pledge: “More fiery rhetoric and cheap shots, please.” Not at all. I’m just saying that civility and tolerance don’t go nearly far enough. Jesus includes a prayer for truth in His prayer for unity. That means that hard conversations must be had. Areas of extreme disagreement must be examined. And unless people who have a higher allegiance than their political party lead the charge, I see little hope of that ending well.
Timeless, not just first century.
Just like I told the bank-teller who thought that John 17 was my idea, the notion that this prayer could actually help resolve the donkey elephant war comes straight from Jesus’ own words. He specifically says that His prayer that we be one is His prayer in every generation. And nowhere does Jesus compartmentalize, as if our unity were only meant to apply to spiritual things, leaving us to fight with our spouses and name call our political adversaries to our little hearts’ content.
Means, not end.
This one I’ll have to unpack later also, because Jesus is aiming for something higher than just donkeys and elephants at the same dinner parties. That would be a lovely thought, but not what Jesus was thinking about. If you recall the earlier discussion of my friends Celestin and Tass and the work they’re doing in East Africa and the Middle East, respectively, their methodology draws straight from the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ prayer for unity: that through it we all might come to know who Jesus is and how much God loves us.
Both my previous books, Jesus’ Surprising Strategy and If It Was Easy, Jesus Wouldn’t Have Prayed For It, go into greater detail regarding applying this prayer to the Church. Here I’m limiting the application to the political landscape.
Remember my primary audience. I’m not papering over opposing positions in direct conflict with one another. I’m saying that as followers of Jesus on both sides of the political aisle, we can dialogue with people of good will, recognizing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.