<p>11:52 <i>And not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad</i>- This may have been added by John. Or perhaps it was the vision of Caiaphas that the Lord's death would enable Judaism to rally their troops as it were, and the diaspora Jews would return to Jerusalem as the Rabbis taught, and establish an independent Kingdom in Palestine.</p><p>The Lord Jesus died as He did in order that all who benefit from His cross should show forth the love, the glory and the Name of the Father and Son, and thus have an extraordinary unity among themselves- so powerful it would convert the world (Jn. 17:20-26). This theme of unity amongst us played deeply on His mind as He faced death in Jn. 17. He died that He might gather together in one all God's children in that His death would enable the giving of the Holy Spirit within the hearts of His people; and the result of spiritual mindedness would be unity between persons. Those who advocate splitting the body, thereby showing the world our <i>dis</i>unity, are working albeit unwittingly against<i> the most essential intention of the cross, </i>and declare themselves to not have received the Holy Spirit. And in this, for me at least, lies an unspeakable tragedy.&nbsp;The atonement should create fellowship. His death would create a new synagogue- for &quot;gather together&quot; translates <i>sunago</i>. But it would be a meeting of minds, based around Him and His cross; rather than in a building cantered around a religion and human priesthood.</p><p>Do we find a true unity with our brethren impossible? He died <i>that</i> He might gather together into one all God&rsquo;s children. Before His cross, before serious and extended personal meditation upon it, all our personal differences will disappear. A divided ecclesia is therefore one which is not centred upon the cross. Whether or not we must live our ecclesial experience in such a context, the barriers which exist within us personally really <i>can</i> be brought down by the humbling experience of the cross, and the way in which we are forced to see how that death was not only for us personally. The wonder of it was and is in its universal and so widely-inclusive nature. Again, the basis of our unity is a sustained, individual appreciation of the cross.</p><p><i>The children of God that are scattered abroad</i>- The Lord uses the same word in predicting that initially, His death would result in His sheep being &quot;scattered abroad&quot; (Mt. 26:31; Jn. 16:32). Response to His death therefore involves a scattering, in order for each man to individuate; and then a coming together in the profoundest unity of the cosmos. We see this in the experience of Paul, who spent three years in the wilderness after his conversion, out of contact with the big name brethren of the time; and then became the most passionate preacher of unity in Christ.</p>