If we were to choose one word that would best characterize the
15. THE UNITY OF PRAYER If we were to choose one word that would best characterize the attitudes and behavior of the twelve disciples during the ministry of Jesus, perhaps the last word that we would choose would be "unity." It is all too often disunity among them that we see in the New Testament accounts – as when we read in Luke that "An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest" (Luke 9:46) or when Mark tells us that the two sons of Zebedee asked Jesus to be first in the kingdom and "When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John" (Mark 10:41).
Apparently, these were not isolated events. Even on the night of the Last Supper we read that directly after Jesus had warned the disciples he was going to be betrayed "A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest" (Luke 22:24). So, disunity stoked by competition and rivalry seems to have often been the everyday state of affairs among the twelve disciples.
Yet, despite this background, the book of Acts tells us that after the resurrection of Jesus – and even before the arrival of the Holy Spirit – "They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers" (Acts 1:14 CSB). Jesus had not told the disciples to pray till the Spirit arrived – he had promised it would be sent and simply told them to wait for it. Their prayer doubtless included praise and thanksgiving, but perhaps something deeper was involved. We are told that Saul, who became the apostle Paul, prayed while he waited in blindness till his sight was restored, and there was probably some serious soul-searching involved in both cases. Saul had sinfully persecuted the church, of course, and the eleven remaining disciples had made many mistakes – not least deserting Jesus in his time of need. In both cases – that of Saul as well as the disciples – there was much to repent of and pray about before the Holy Spirit was given.
But Acts shows us that there was another aspect to the disciples' prayer – that as they waited in Jerusalem they were united in prayer. It is only when we remember the disunity of the disciples that had been the norm throughout Jesus' ministry that we realize how startling and significant their sudden unity was. And we must realize that Luke's words do not mean the disciples were simply praying together – but that they were truly united as one through their prayer. The word Luke used that is translated "united" in our Bibles is the Greek word homothumadon which means "with one mind." It denotes complete harmony of views and feelings and signifies that there were no longer conflicting attitudes, divided interests, ambitions, or purposes.
On the evening of his betrayal, in his so-called High Priestly prayer, Jesus prayed for his disciples "that all of them may be one" (John 17:21), but we cannot presume that unity was somehow miraculously imposed on the disciples even before they received the Holy Spirit. Instead, we must remember that prayer unites us – forces us to remember that just as we address God as our Father, so every one of his people is our brother or sister. The act of prayer, if done deeply and sincerely, helps us not only to see and repent of our sins, but also to be willing to forgive others and to pray for them. This is clearly reflected in the words of the apostle James: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other" (James 5:16), which apply to more than simply matters of healing. So as they waited in Jerusalem, the disciples were doubtless united in prayer simply because they were praying – and praying unites us.
There is certainly a lesson in this for us. If we are upset with others or finding it hard to forgive them, we need to pray and to pray especially for those with whom we have been disunited (Matthew 5:44; etc.). When we do that we no longer feel anger, judgment, competition, or rivalry, but begin to be truly united with them.
That is what the apostle Paul (who knew a great deal about unity and disunity) meant when he wrote "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that … there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and
thought" (1 Corinthians 1:10), and "make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind" (Philippians 2:2). In a different context, Paul also refers to the very way we can do this: "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests … and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:18) – prayer leads to unity.
It was as the waiting disciples began to pray earnestly after the resurrection – probably more so than they ever had – that they doubtless prayed for forgiveness for their rivalries and competition, that they began to pray for each other, and that as they did, they became truly united. We, like them, can learn that prayer unites us in a way that nothing else can.