Almost from the very beginning, man has been an accomplished builder of walls, both the physical kind and the non-physical type. Why do we do it? Well, whether it is a physical barrier or an emotional barrier, the main purpose of a wall is either to keep unwanted things or people from getting in, or to keep things or people from getting out, or both. We build walls for protection. The results can be good, or not so good.
The truly amazing Great Wall of China was built to keep the invading hordes of Genghis Khan and other powerful enemies out. The wall stretches out over the Chinese frontier for over 6700 kilometers and has stood for over 2000 years! In Great Britain, Hadrian’s Wall was built to keep the wild northern tribes from attacking the civilized Roman settlements in the south. It was built in the second century and ran through the English countryside for 73 miles.
More recent and darker history finds the building of the infamous Berlin Wall separating West and East Berlin and built to keep the East Berliners from leaving their communist country and crossing over into freedom. That wall represented suspicion, hostility, distrust and downright hatred. Many people were killed trying to escape the oppression of the East German government and the West Germans would erect crosses where the bodies fell in outright defiance of the East German guards.
What a time it was in 1989 when that hateful wall came tumbling down and West and East Germans were reunited after 45 years of painful separation and division. When that physical wall was torn down, it revealed an invisible wall that still stands somewhat to this day. There were two cultures at odds with one another – one a culture of poor, oppressed people, the other a culture of free-thinking, prosperous people. The East Germans, to a certain degree, felt like second class citizens, charity cases for the West Germans, who were resentful at having to support their poor brothers and sisters.
Unfortunately, all of us have invisible walls of one kind or another that are very difficult to breakdown. Some build very high walls, while others may build a waist-high fence. Jesus came to destroy and bring down walls. He came to remove the barriers that keep people from truly knowing God.
In the early Church, there were two categories of believers that were separated by a great wall – the Jews and the Gentiles. The church at Ephesus, and most others, suffered from two types of division, i.e., social and spiritual. Paul tells us that the Gentiles were called a derogatory name by the Jews. They called the Gentile believers “the uncircumcised”! For Jews, circumcision was their badge of honor. It was their mark of distinction. To Jews it meant, “We are God’s people and you are not!” The Jews of Jesus’ time (and unfortunately some today) would often pray, “Thank you, Lord, that I am not a Gentile,” and “Thank you, Lord, that I am not a woman!” (Now there’s a wall for you.) The Jewish literature of the time displayed a Jewish belief that God had created Gentiles solely to fuel the fires of Hell. Imagine the hostility that had to be overcome in order to bring these two groups together into one church, for that church to be effective at all. There is a whole lot of animosity, deeply seated animosity, to get over.
But there existed an even deeper division between the Jews and Gentiles before the Gospel came. It was a spiritual division based on ignorance.
Those were the walls of the early Church, but sadly, we today fare not much better. Christians of today build our own walls.
Paul tells us in verse 13 how Jesus defines “peace”. Hear him: “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He, Himself, is our peace, Who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by fulfilling in His flesh the Law with its commandments and regulations.” Peace, true peace, is oneness and harmony. True peace is a person, Jesus the Christ. The violence of His death on the cross makes our peace possible. His shed blood destroys walls that divide us and brings us His peace. His blood brings us into the presence of God the Father.
In the Jewish Temple of the time, stood the place known as the Holy of Holies. It was the place where God was said to dwell. It was separated from the other areas of the temple by a very large and heavy 60-foot-by- 60-foot curtain. Only the High Priest could enter in and he only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Outside of this area was the court of men – Jewish men only. Beyond that was the court of women. Finally, furthest from the Holy of Holies and the presence of God, was the court of the Gentiles.
Archeologists in 1871 unearthed a stone at the Temple site in Jerusalem containing these words: “No man of another race is to proceed within the partition and enclosing wall about the sanctuary. Any one arrested there will have himself to blame for the penalty of death which will be imposed as a consequence.” When Jesus died on the cross, we are told that the Temple veil was “torn in two, right down the center exposing the Holy of Holies!” The veil was ripped asunder and the invisible wall was shattered. As were the false divisions, for as Paul said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
Jesus’ purpose is to bring us before God without distinctions and divisions. We are not known by God because of our race, our gender, our level of education, or anything other than that we are a believer in God the Son, Jesus Christ! When we are His, nothing can keep us from coming near to God.
But what about becoming near to each other? The walls separating us from God are gone. But what about the walls that separate us from one another? How can we break down and destroy those walls created by fear, hostility, hatred and distrust? The Jews hated the Gentiles because they thought they were better than the Gentiles. The Jews had the Law of Moses and so they thought they had God in their robe pockets, so to speak. This feeling of superiority and self-righteousness created the hurt, distrust and division. The Gentiles, on the other hand, could see right through the hypocrisy of this self-righteous attitude, and in turn hated the Jews and their Law. Jesus’ solution to the problem was to fulfill the Law and show both groups how much they needed the mercy and grace of God.
This is also the perfect solution to the hostilities we find in our own world today. We must break down and destroy the walls that divide us from each other. We must stop demanding that everyone do things “my way”. We must stop demanding that everyone else change, without admitting that we need to change also. If we will do that, we will end hostility. If we continue to pretend that everyone else is wrong and that we have no need for change, then hostility and resentment will remain.
“Jesus came and preached peace to you who were far away and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
No matter how close we think we are to God, we all have walls to break down. We are one in Christ, but we have these walls hiding some part of us. The wall may be a fear that grips us or causes us to lash out in anger. Or it may be pride that causes us to insist that we are right beyond reproach. What if we all came clean about our self-built walls? The addict or alcoholic could share his/her pain because he/she knew that everyone else was dealing with something in their life too.
That is what we must do. We must become a church that accepts anyone who comes to Christ without our prejudices and fears controlling our actions. We need to open wide our arms and invite all people to come in, no matter where or what they are. We need to say to them, “Yes, you are different from me, but brother/sister, we are one in Jesus Christ!” Amen.