Paul teaches about reconciliation in Ephesians chapter two. First, he details our reconciliation with God (vs 1-10). But then he describes our reconciliation with each other (vs 11-22). Vertical and horizontal reconciliation, all through the work of Jesus Christ! Peace with God and peace with each other. It's really an epic, big-picture thing. In verses 1-10 we were dead in sin, 'but God' made us alive and saved us by grace. And in verses 11-22 Gentiles were cut off from God's people Israel, 'but now in Christ Jesus' a new, muti-ethnic humanity has been created - the church - a unified, international community bought with Jesus' blood and living for God's glory.
This is really good stuff.
Ethnic Hostility
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Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands…” Ephesians 2:11, ESV
It is very hard for us to imagine the hostility between Jews and Gentiles in this period. Paul alludes to the name calling and labels in verse 11 (‘the uncircumcision’ - Stott). The Jews were given great advantages and privileges as the people of God (Rom 9:5). But they were supposed to be a light to the nations instead of becoming self-righteous! Stott says Israel “twisted her privilege into favoritism and ended up heartily despising – even detesting – the heathen as ‘dogs.’
William Barclay gives mind-numbing descriptions of this hatred of Gentiles. First, he says that Jews thought of Gentiles as being created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell! Secondly, they would not even aid a Gentile mother in giving birth, since it would result in another Gentile coming into the world. And finally, if a Jew and Gentile intermarried, the family of the Jew would conduct a funeral service, since the one who married the Gentile was now dead to their family (Barclay, quoted in Stott).
No doubt the Gentiles felt the same way about the Jews.
Could anyone ever bring these two together?
The Reconciliation of the Church
Paul gives us the good news of the reconciling work of Jesus Christ on behalf of the church. He speaks on our reconcilation to each other, and then to God.
A. Reconciled to Each Other. “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace…” Ephesians 2:14-15, ESV
Paul is addressing the problem of ethnic division, so he deals with the horizontal reconciliation first. In this verse we see several aspects of Christ's work:
1. Hostility to Peace. Paul uses war language -
hostility and
peace. Reconciliation has occurred in Christ. The two warring parties have come to terms of peace through Jesus and his cross. Jesus himself is our peace! He has ended the war between ethnic groups; therefore the church should not be at war with each other but at peace!
2. Division to Unity. Paul also uses division/reconciliation language. Jews and Gentiles were not only hostile towards each other, but sharply divided. Nothing symbolized the division between Jew and Gentile like the Temple at Jerusalem itself. The court of the Gentiles was the furthest court from the Temple, and was on a lower level. They could look up at the Temple but not draw near. A wall separated the Gentile court from the Jews, and signs were placed around the wall warning that death would be the penalty for any Gentile who crossed over the wall. This was serious division!
Additionally, the Mosaic law-covenant itself, with all its ceremonial rules, served to divide Jews from Gentiles. For instance, the dietary regulations made it impossible for Jews and Gentiles to have table fellowship. But Christ abolished this at the cross in order to bring the two together (Col 2:13-14 – O’Brien, Thielman). In Christ, we are not under the Old Covenant, but the New, and we are not under the covenant of Moses, but the Law of Christ (1 Cor 9:21).
This means that Christ has unified what man could never unify. He tore down the dividing walls at the cross and has accomplished unity for his church. We do not have to work to accomplish unity; it already exists. We simply have to believe this truth and live in its implications. We should not be rebuilding the ethnic walls Jesus tore down at the cross, or living as if he never tore them down!
