Eliminating the Wall of Hostility

“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:11-21 NIV)

For the past several years, it seems our nation has been embroiled in racial tensions—Ferguson, Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, Chicago, Dallas, and, most recently, Charlottesville.  For followers of Jesus, it is tough ground to navigate.  In the era of social media, the pull is to one side or the other, with each having its own justification why it is right and the other wrong, and treating the other side as the enemy.  

For those who read the Scriptures, it should have a familiar ring to it. For millennia, the Jews (the Israelites) and the Gentiles (non-Jews) looked upon each other with suspicion, disgust, and, often, hatred.  It was into this cauldron that Jesus entered and lived.  For the Jews and Gentiles, the only way there could be peace between them was to cross from side to the other.  The wall of hostility was an unmovable fact.  You either stayed on your side or climbed over to the other.  Tearing it down was inconceivable.  So the hostility remained constant—most of the time simmering, but sometimes erupting into a full boil, similar to what we have experienced in our own country.

One of the things about Jesus that shocked the people of the 1st Century (there were so many) was His willingness to interact and be kind toward Gentiles—both men and women.  The religious leaders accused him of “welcoming and eating with sinners.” He wasn’t climbing over the wall; He was busting through it!

Paul summarizes Jesus’ work toward racial and cultural reconciliation in his letter to the Church at Ephesus.  He didn’t continue the tradition of having to choose sides.  He eliminated the reason for the sides.  He destroyed the wall of hostility between them and made it possible for them to become part of the same family-a brand new one whose focus was no longer on themselves, but on Him.  He alone is the Source of peace between us.

Ultimately, the cause of division is arrogance. We view ourselves higher than we ought, and we view others lower than we ought.  Reconciliation can happen only when we recognize our own sinfulness and, instead of trying to tear others down in order to mask that reality, we turn our eyes toward Jesus, humbly acknowledging our need for Him.  That is when sinners, regardless of racial or cultural heritage, can unite together in their shared plight and shared Savior.

Today, in these troubled times of racial and cultural hostility, remember there is only One who can truly unite us.  He has already destroyed the wall of hostility through the Cross.  Following Him is the only way of bringing about peace with those of different races and cultures. There is no other.

© Jim Musser 2017