EPHESIANS 2:14

“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,”

When my wife and I were away recently on vacation, we watched a crew of men over several days demolish a beach house. It was old and in need of a lot, so I guess the owner decided it was cheaper to tear it down and build a new one. The equipment they used to tear off the roof, the walls and the flooring was powerful. Nothing was going to stand in the way of that giant, metal claw that grabbed and destroyed.

Paul reminds us in today’s verse what Christ did for us. He “broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.” You are probably wondering what exactly Paul meant by that. We will look at that shortly. I guarantee you the recipients of this letter understood it. Paul also reminds us that Jesus “Himself is our peace.” No amount of peace talks between two groups is going to be lasting. One or the other will eventually break it. We see that time and time again. But the peace brought by Jesus is eternal.

APPLICATION

So, what was this barrier of the dividing wall all about? If you remember your Old Testament, the temple was built with an outer court and inner court. Gentiles were allowed in the outer court, but there was a dividing wall that separated them and the Jews who entered the inner court. There was an engraving found in 1871 called the Soreg Inscription that reads:

“No foreigner is to enter the barriers surrounding the sanctuary. He who is caught will have himself to blame for his death which will follow.”

It’s no wonder Jesus wanted to tear that down through His shed blood. Christ’s death opened up access to all men to enter the holy of holies, not just the High Priest. We all have a path to God’s mercy seat. That’s what brings us peace – His mercy, as shown through Jesus.

The Greek word used for “broke down” is luo, and it means to loose something so it no longer holds together. In other words, Christ’s demolition of this wall is permanent. No man can rebuild it. Aren’t you glad? I know a few people who would probably try. So, take off your hard hat off. The work has been done. Enjoy the peace.

O God, You have demolished the wall separating me from You. Thank You, Lord.