Psalm 133 (ESV)

¹Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when brothers dwell in unity!

²It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron,

running down on the collar of his robes!

³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

The psalmist writes, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.” We could talk about examples of disunity, such as people bickering about finances; however, our text has no indication of that. If you want, you can use your imagination to think about such things, but we are not going there. The text for today simply declares that there is a good and pleasant unity among brothers, that is, God’s people.

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On the night Jesus was betrayed, knowing He would soon die on the cross and be out of sight, then seen again, then be out of sight again for a long time, He prayed about unity. Jesus prayed that His disciples would not be jealous, backstabbing, or power hungry. He prayed that they would be one, as He and His heavenly Father are one (cf. John 17:20-26). Despite what we see and expect in and from the world today, Jesus’ prayer is being answered every day!

How good and pleasant it is that Christians are united by Holy Baptism in the crucified and resurrected Christ! God’s Word, in and with the water, is a source of divine blessings affecting our lives from birth to death. Through it we receive the forgiveness of sins and become members of the body of Christ having the desire to live in unity with others, willingly serving God and neighbors according to God’s will. What is more, we are assured that the Holy Spirit will preserve us in the one true faith all the days of our lives.

How good and pleasant it is that we, the Bride of the Lamb, will spend eternity together with Christ and one another worshiping before the throne of God and the Lamb in “the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God” (cf. Revelation 21:10). In the new heaven and the new earth, the old order of things basic to this present way of life will no longer exist. All God’s people will be freed from the physical consequences of sin: “[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). God’s people will no longer be divided into Jews and Greeks, slave or free, male or female: “for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (cf. Galatians 3:28-29). So, it should come as no surprise that unity, something Jesus prayed for and gave His life for is answered.

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