The Wall Between Us
Jesus is the only way to unity in an age of rage...
Scripture
14For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. Ephesians 2:14-16
Observation
Ephesus was a multicultural hub—Greeks, Romans, Jews, various cults, and all intersected there. The early church was wrestling with: How Jews and Gentiles relate in Christ, how Torah observance applies to Gentile Christians, what unity looks like when centuries of hostility existed. Jew-Gentile hostility went back generations. Jews viewed Gentiles as impure idolaters; Gentiles saw Jews as rebellious religious elites. There were literal social, cultural, and architectural barriers. Paul’s language here is emotionally charged and purposeful and would have really grabbed the attention of the Jews and Gentiles hearing this letter read as they gathered. At the Jerusalem Temple, a literal wall called the Soreg separated the Court of the Gentiles from the inner courts. Inscriptions warned that any Gentile who crossed would be executed. Jesus had come to take this curse, to be executed on our behalf, to bridge the gap between nations, and give full access to those who believed in Him. What would have been impossible in an age of rage and generations of hurt on both sides became possible through personified peace- Jesus Christ! Jesus continues to tear down walls today if we will let Him.
Application
As my son Jaxon and I approached the Western Wall in Jerusalem we honored the tradition of the Jews who were gathered and crying out to God. We washed our hands and placed the kippah or yarmulke on our heads. We placed our paper with names of those we were praying for back home in the cracks of the wall and stood there soaking in the significance of the moment. Jesus would have seen this very wall as He came to lay His life down and yet the Jews would, for the most part, never recognize the answer to their prayers walking on by. My prayers quickly went from praying for my family, friends, and church to the Jewish people around me. There was singing, there was travail, there was the bold repetition of the Torah, there was a sense of desperation that convicted me to my core. You see, I know the answer to my prayers is not dependent upon my good works, how well I washed my hands, or the wall that held my prayers and yet sometimes my prayers are half-hearted. Their passionate prayer to God to answer their cry for a Messiah inspired me to passionate prayer to The Messiah! One of our team, Sheila Sterns, stood on the other side of another dividing wall that separated men from women. My heart broke alongside hers because we were united in Spirit though divided by a wall. She wrote, “And I can’t help wondering: what if they knew what was on the other side of this beautiful, enduring stone wall? They could have a relationship with Jesus. Their rituals are meaningful, and their devotion is admirable, but tragically misplaced. It feels like such a sad state of religious competition. I wish they knew what we know—that there is a Savior they can know personally. “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city he wept over it and said “if you even knew and only known on this day, what would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19: 41-42) I saw the proof of what Paul describes as we enjoyed Shabbat with the Messianic Jewish congregation - Bet Hallal in Ashdod. Though most of the songs were not in English and we were the only Gentiles in the place, we were united by The Spirit and were reconciled through Christ. Pastor Israel gave me the privilege of bringing the message that night. What a humbling moment to see seven Jewish people raise their hands to give their lives to Christ. The walls continue to fall and I’ve been given a front row seat to the miracle! In a season where we are often painfully reminded of all that divides us rather than unites us, I have fresh hope. If Jesus could make Jew and Gentile one new nation, is there anything He can’t do with our family, friends, and neighbors this Christmas?
Prayer
I have so much to Thank You for Jesus! I cried tears of grief at the Western Wall and I’m crying tears of joy today. You have torn down the wall between us! Thank You for the privilege of picking up where Paul left off to share the Good News that there’s no hostility, no division, no hurt, no history that can’t be covered by Your Blood if we will only apply it!
