John 17:20-23 (ESV Strong’s Bible)
“20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
In verse 9, Jesus said that He is not praying for the world but for His immediate disciples. Those that beleived in Him while He was on earth. Now in this verse above, Jesus is now praying for everyone including those disciples that will become disciples through the preaching of the current disciples. Those that will believe in Jesus as a result of the preaching of the current disciples. This includes you and me. Paul does indicate this as well in Romans 10:14 when he said that how will anyone beleive if no one is sent to preach. So Jesus is now not only praying for his immediate disciples but for all future disciples as well.
21 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.
Jesus says that God is in him and He is in God. What does this mean? It means that Jesus and God are of one mind, heart and purpose. They are in union and have fellowship with one another. Therefore, Jesus wants all His disciples to also be of one mind, heart and purpose and have fellowship with one another just like between Him and God. Not only does Jesus want oneness among the disciples but, He also wants the disciples to also have one mind, heart and purpose with Him and God. Therefore, what Jesus is praying for is that God, Jesus and all disciples must be of one mind, heart and purpose. Paul indicates in 1 Cor 6:17 that he who is joined to the Lord, becomes one spirit with him. 1 John 1:3 says that we do have fellowship with Jesus and 1 John 3:23 says that whoever Keeps God’s commandments remains in God and God in him. This serves to show the oneness that Jesus is praying for.
Jesus indicates that this fellowship, this oneness, will indicate to the world and the world may beleive that God has sent Him.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
Jesus represented the glory of God on earth, this means He represented God’s attributes. Examples of these are God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and so on. By displaying these, Jesus not only glorified God but was also glorified by God. This is the same glory that Jesus, in my view, is giving to the disciples. These Godly attributes will assist in making the disciples one as Him and God are one with the same mind, heart and purpose. These attributes will make them perfectly one.
Once more the oneness of the disciples will show the world not only that Jesus was send by God but, they will also show that God has loved the disciples as He has loved Jesus.