“For He, Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall. (Eph. 2:14)

In Ephesus, there were two major groups that made up the church, the body of Christ. These two groups were the Jews and the Gentiles. Another way of putting it was the Jews and the non-Jews. These two groups of people were separated by the corpus of law which governed the Jewish people and excluded the non-Jewish.

It was God’s plan and desire that all men be united in one body, the body of his son. To do this the barrier of separation had to be removed. Jesus did that. He broke down the barrier of the dividing wall. In the church in Ephesus, Jew and Gentile became one in Christ. There were no longer one or the other, but they were made Christians. Their unity was in Christ.

Today the world is vastly divided by all sorts of barriers. We have racial barriers and religious barriers. We are divided over ideology, and language. We have borders to separate us, and where there are no borders, there is hate. It may be the strongest barrier of all.

Jesus came into the world to break the most important barrier. A barrier so great that our petty differences pale in comparison. Mankind was at enmity with God. The sin of man had created a wall that separated man from God. So great was this wall that one side could not breach it. One side could, and did. Jesus died on a cross in Jerusalem over two thousand years ago to demolish the wall.

There is now a breach in the wall, and Jesus stands on God’s side of the wall and beckons us to come through the breach to him.

These other walls we face today are manmade barriers. What if one side refuses to break down the wall? The wall can still be broken. What if both sides refuse to break down the wall? Then the wall will not be broken.

Got any walls in your life? Is there a lack of peace between you and someone else? Maybe they are a different race or culture. Maybe they worship God differently or speak another language or follow a foreign and dangerous government. They or you may have built a dividing wall. Possibly both raised the barrier. The hatred will never end until the wall is breached. Make a break and invite the enemy over.

I believe Jesus calls us to tear down the walls of separation and live at peace with all men. I’m praying that the big box stores sell out of sledgehammers this next week and the world will hear the sound of falling walls.