Prayer:- Through the written word, and the spoken word, may we know your living word, Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen
Today our Gospel reading speaks of Jesus’s ministry within Israel, but our epistle celebrates its extension to embrace the Gentiles. So, I will mainly focus on the reading from Ephesians.
In this section of Scripture Paul wants the Ephesians to remember where they once were. Like the section found in Ephesians 2:1-10 where he taught that we were once dead and God brought us to life. Here, he wants us to see that we as Gentiles were once separated from God, alienated but because of Christ we are reconciled to God. Those who were “far off” — who had previously been “strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” — are now “brought near” to him in Christ.
The key focus in this text is reconciliation. In our text today, restoration happens between humanity and God and between humans. Christ has removed the enmity between us and God. He has taken our sin away and He has performed His mediatory work bringing us back into fellowship with God. The word of God says in…
2 Cor. 5:18-19
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
As believers, we have experienced the joy of reconciliation. With this blessing comes responsibility. We are to be ministers of reconciliation. We are tools the Lord uses to bring people to Him and to bring human enemies together. .
In today’s Gospel it moved Jesus to compassion. He met them where they were and ministered to their needs. That is what we need to help people with; as co-workers with Christ. (1 Corinthians 3.9)
Jesus said they were like sheep without a shepherd.
Eight times the Bible uses the phrase, “Like sheep without a shepherd” and each time it has all or something to do with directionless wandering or hopelessness.
Somebody has to do something!
It is clear that more people want to watch than do!
I think, we have to do two things
i. Pray about people going for God’s service
ii. Go- I think it is impossible to pray about God sending workers and not have our own hearts touched to do something.
Further, this passage from Ephesians can be divided into two main parts. A before and an after.
In the before part he says:
So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Here’s the key phrase in the whole passage: But now
Something has changed (not only something but everything) because of Jesus. Look at how central Jesus is this section.
But now
In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.
You see, this is the Gospel. This is the good news. Jesus has put to death that hostility through his death on the cross.
Now the whole situation has changed. Galatians 3:26-28. “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Christ has taken away all the things that divide those two people.
Paul uses two interesting phrases in today’s reading I want us to look at. First he says you who once were far off have been brought near…Second, broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.
The blood of Christ has brought us near and in His flesh He has broken down the dividing wall
Both of these phrases refer to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple that sat in the heart of Jerusalem was a series of walled in courtyards. . In that temple was the court of the Gentiles. This was a place where the Gentiles could go and worship but it was far away from the Holy of Holies. The Jewish men were given access to an area quite a bit closer and then the Jewish High Priest on the Day of Atonement was given access to the Holy of Holies and that only once a year.
Between Jew and Gentile was a dividing wall. The wall that separated Jew and Gentile has been removed. The blood of Christ has taken it away.
The cross is the great leveler.
A great servant of God Billy Graham said “The ground is level at the foot of the cross.” All people are now granted access to God through Jesus Christ alone.
There is significance here for us, especially as we look at the work of reconciliation. Jesus’ death has made the temple and the sacrificial system obsolete.
What divided people has been broken down because of Jesus. What divided God from His people has been ripped in two. The curtain is no longer needed because we don’t access God through that curtain any longer but through Christ. As it is mentioned very clearly in the book of Hebrews 10:19-25.
He is Making One Kingdom (Ephesians 2:19-22)
[19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Now we have access through Christ. Jesus opens the gate and invites us to enter into His Father’s Kingdom.
The worldly dynasty of David has a long run, but it does end. Davidic kings ruled in Jerusalem for more than four centuries, ending with the exiling of Zedekiah in 586 BCE (Before Common Era ). But already before the end of the physical kingship, biblical writers concluded that God would keep the promise to David in the promise of the coming messiah Throughout history there have been great and mighty empires. As with anything that man does, they come and they go. David in our Old Testament reading wanted to build an earthly Temple. Jesus, on the other hand, is building a spiritual temple- a kingdom which will endure for ever. He is bringing people from all different places and placing them into His Father’s Kingdom.
Paul uses the imagery of the Holy Spirit as a block layer. The Holy Spirit takes His tools and mortar and lays one block at a time. Every person who is converted becomes another brick in the temple of God. This is the true temple. This is the temple which will never be torn down.
Why? Because…Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together,
The foundation of this structure was laid by the apostles and prophets. This building is not finished yet. Jews and Gentiles alike are being brought into the Kingdom of God…one at a time.
We are being reconciled to God through Christ, Strangers to Citizens and Foreigners to Family.
Paul uses a progression here. First, he writes that we were strangers. In ancient times these were the people who came into a walled city to conduct business but they had no legal right to stay. Jesus brings strangers into the walled city of God’s Kingdom and makes us citizens. Then He goes even further. Paul explains that we were aliens. These were those who may be permitted to reside for a short time in one’s home, but they were not family members and after a short time passed they had to leave. But Jesus Christ makes us members of the household of God.
We were illegal aliens made citizens and then foreigners made family. For us the Holy of Holies is God’s house. We can access our heavenly Father all the time because of what Jesus did for us.
If we are to be consistent witnesses for Christ it’s important that we remember where we came from.
The purpose of remembering is thanksgiving, leading to service. We should thank God everyday for such a great salvation as He has given us through His son.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.