{"id":1955,"date":"2014-03-01T20:59:20","date_gmt":"2014-03-02T00:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/?p=1955"},"modified":"2014-03-01T21:07:17","modified_gmt":"2014-03-02T01:07:17","slug":"christ-demolishes-the-dividing-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/christ-demolishes-the-dividing-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"Christ demolishes the dividing wall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes we think we understand a passage of Scripture. Then later, we read the passage again, and the Holy Spirit brings together smoldering thoughts from our lives, our studies, and even His Word. He ignites it, providing a brilliant illumination of God\u2019s love for us.<\/em><\/p>\n

Recently while studying Ephesians 2 in a Sunday school class, I had one of those inspired \u201caha\u201d moments. Here\u2019s the section Eph 2:11-22 [NIV]:<\/p>\n

11<\/strong>\u00a0Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called \u201cuncircumcised\u201d by those who call themselves \u201cthe circumcision\u201d (which is done in the body by human hands)\u2014 12<\/strong>\u00a0remember 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. 13<\/strong>\u00a0But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
\n14<\/strong>\u00a0For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15<\/strong>\u00a0by 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, 16<\/strong>\u00a0and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17<\/strong>\u00a0He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18<\/strong>\u00a0For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
\n19<\/strong>\u00a0Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God\u2019s people and also members of his household, 20<\/strong>\u00a0built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21<\/strong>\u00a0In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22<\/strong>\u00a0And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When you read Scripture, it’s a very good idea to establish the context. Paul’s letter is addressed to the church in Ephesus – a city in western Turkey. Paul, being a very well studied Jewish believer was attempting to assure the Gentile believers in Ephesus of their complete access to God. It\u2019s critical to note that people from different regions and backgrounds have widely varying ways of understanding what is written. Knowing this is key to interpreting what Paul was saying to the Ephesian believers.<\/p>\n

Paul studied under Gamaliel, and as a Jew, his writings are very Hebraic. This means single words can be illustrated with pictures, providing definitive imagery versus an abstract notion of meaning.<\/p>\n

So, whenever I see the word \u201cpeace\u201d in the New Testament (Eph 2:14), I\u2019ll dig into the Greek to see if I should consider it \u201cshalom\u201d, which has a far more useful definition. Most think of peace as quietude, but shalom means to be \u201cfilled to completion with nothing lacking.\u201d Jerusalem , \u201cfoundation of peace\u201d doesn\u2019t mean quietude, but the place from which all of God\u2019s blessings flow.<\/p>\n

\"FloorIn Paul\u2019s day, Jerusalem was site of the Herodian temple, the access point to God. The temple grounds contained an inner court with the sanctuary building, a dividing wall\/fence, then an outer court – \u201cthe court of the Gentiles.\u201d \u00a0Gentiles, even if true worshippers of Yahweh, were not allowed into the inner area. There was a sign posted at the inner court gates (through that wall\/fence) that strictly warned Gentiles they would be responsible for their own deaths if they entered. It\u2019s not clear if this warning came from God, or if it was a man-made regulation. That wouldn\u2019t make much of a difference to the Gentiles who were being killed. This is the hostility Paul refers to in verse 14.<\/p>\n

Christ destroyed this wall by abolishing (katargeo – cease that prior work) the law of Moses (Torah\u2019s commands and regulations – that is: mitzvot – good deeds). He did this – in his flesh.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0When I read verses like 15, I wonder – what does he mean? Jesus drove out the money-changers and animals, but there was no mention that he physically destroyed the wall\/fence. Yes, Christ died upon the cross, but that\u2019s not called for in Torah. How is it possible that Torah could be set aside without resorting to metaphors such as the perfect sacrifice?<\/p>\n

It appears Paul is saying that when Christ died, so did the Mosaic covenant, the purpose of which was to keep Israel holy and righteous. That \u201cimage\u201d of what constitutes holiness (through the law) died with Christ on the cross. The reason I put \u201cimage\u201d in quotes in that last sentence has to do with the meaning of the Hebrew word for image – demut (dalet-mem-vav-tav). Demut doesn\u2019t simply mean a figurative photo-likeness. It\u2019s true meaning is really about someone\u2019s character – their actions. The Hebrew word for death is mut (mem-vav-tav). A person\u2019s \u201cimage\u201d is made up of the right-correct actions they perform (that\u2019s the dalet-door, indicating life-changes). If no righteous actions are performed, that \u201cimage\u201d is dead (the dalet\/life changes are removed). After sinning, Adam\u2019s work in the Garden was no longer possible. He (his image) was mut – dead. In fact, all of mankind was dead (via non-righteous actions) because they weren\u2019t acting\/being like God.<\/p>\n

Given that context, what Paul says next (verse 15b) makes sense: Christ\u2019s purpose was to create a new man (new Adam) by which written Mosaic mitzvot (good deeds\/actions) were not critical to judgement. His death on the cross replaced Torah as far as atonement was concerned. In Mt 5:17-18 Christ makes the claim that he\u2019d didn\u2019t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (pleroo – fulfill – make complete.) He lived a sinless perfect life, and in doing so, was the exact \u201cimage\u201d of God in the flesh<\/i>. According to Mosaic law, no one could do any better.\u00a0 Despite perfection in the law, Christ was rejected.<\/p>\n

There is the distinction that Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit and did not rely upon adhering to external laws and regulations – those written upon stones. This \u201cimage\u201d of man is what Adam was in the Garden – God blew his Spirit into Adam. Christ – through his death, provided a new covenant, replacing the stone tablets of law with the Holy Spirit within to guide each individual person. In effect, each person becomes a temple of God, just like Christ. Another way of thinking of this – a believers heart became like the ark of the covenant, the \u201ctablets\u201d of the law placed inside them. Now the law (The Holy Spirit through Christ) would be carried whenever and where-ever they moved.<\/p>\n

In verses 17-20, Paul clarifies – the distinction between Jews and Gentiles is no longer made, because the old access point – the temple in Jerusalem, is no longer needed. Christ provided access to God through one Spirit. Then Paul begins making a comparison between believers and the temple in Jerusalem – with prophets and apostles as building blocks and Christ as the cornerstone.<\/p>\n

In Eph 2:21-22 Paul expands the process of building a temple using living stones. If you\u2019re wondering where that idea came from – it appears to be a common word-play on the Hebrew words for stone (eben – aleph-bet-nun) and son (ben – bet-nun). John the Baptist wittily mocks the Sanhedrin in Mt 3:9 using this analogy.<\/p>\n

With temples, stones, sons of Abraham and access to God in mind, I think the Holy Spirit hit Paul with a clue-by-4 by reviving a past memory.<\/p>\n

In Acts 7, Stephen provides a lengthy sermon about God\u2019s interaction with the Israelites, but from Acts 7:44-50 he focuses in on the tabernacle and the temple. Saul (Paul) was likely present – listening to Stephen\u2019s dialogue. Later, he watched over the garments of the elders after they stripped them off to stone Stephen.<\/p>\n

By Acts 7:48, Stephen summarizes his point: \u201cHowever, the Most High doesn\u2019t live in houses made by men\u201d. Here\u2019s Stephen, surrounded by the Sanhedrin, stating God doesn\u2019t live in the stone house – the Temple in which they serve. The very reason they are confronting Stephen is his speaking out against the \u201choly place\u201d (Acts 6: 13) and against the law of Moses.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, in Acts 7:51 Stephen seems to lose it. He\u2019s condemning the elders because they are resisting the Holy Spirit, as Israel had done throughout it\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

The Sanhedrin, as guardians of the temple, are doing the very same thing to the Holy Spirit, that they did to Gentiles with the Temple! Further, God came in the flesh through Christ. God Incarnate – Immanuel – God dwelling among us. Christ, the true temple of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, God\u2019s image (\u201cthe Righteous One\u201d) and they didn\u2019t show any lovingkindness (chesed) whatsoever.<\/p>\n

This is what Stephen was yelling about. This is the blasphemous hypocrisy of the leaders of Israel, who claimed they were acting on God\u2019s behalf (in the likeness of God – demut), but were really diametrically opposed to God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

Y\u2019shua came in the flesh – as a living Temple of God. He even refers to his flesh as the Temple – \u201cdestroy this temple and I will rebuild it in 3 days\u201d. This referral is used against him in the mock trial. Notice, however, that His body is destroyed by the Romans, as a foreshadowing prophecy of the destruction of the Herodian temple in AD 70.<\/p>\n

When Paul wrote Ephesians, it was quite possible he was being held as a prisoner.\u00a0 So in Eph 3:1 when Paul attempts to summarize his mission to the Gentiles, all that imagery and the words of Stephen (who was taken prisoner, then stoned) must have came flooding back. It\u2019s like Paul carried Stephen\u2019s death all these years, and finally understood what Stephen meant about God\u2019s real temple. I can\u2019t help but think Paul fully understood Stephen\u2019s suffering at that point. One cannot help but see the irony of stones being used to destroy Stephen who, being born again, was a true temple of the Living God.<\/p>\n

In Ephesians 3:2 Paul switches to God\u2019s grace, his purpose in Christ for the Gentiles. No longer would he enforce keeping Gentiles out – but would now work to include them into the Body of Christ. This is a godly, righteous action, but not of his own doing.\u00a0 Eph. 3:12 sums up that access to God is always available to those who have become true children of Abraham.<\/p>\n

When we consider the temple in Jerusalem, it\u2019s nothing but stone – it had no real life until the Shekinah glory came to dwell within. In fact, He filled it to overflowing – driving out all the priests (2 Chronicles 7:2). Likewise, we are dead, lifeless stones until God comes, dwells within and fills us to overflowing with his presence. When this happens, we have shalom – peace.<\/p>\n

It is with this imagery in mind that Paul begins praying for the Ephesians at 3:14-21.<\/p>\n

Please go – read it, and whatever your heritage, Jew or Gentile, may Christ\u2019s shalom be yours too.\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The apostle Paul gets insight into a certain monologue he heard from the first Christian martyr – Stephen while writing a letter to the Ephesian believers. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[229,102],"tags":[302,117],"class_list":["post-1955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beliefs","category-inspiration","tag-hebrew","tag-scripture-reflections"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1955"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1964,"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions\/1964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thrufire.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}