He is Our Peace
Ephesians 2:14-18
Introduction: In France some soldiers with their sergeant brought the body of a dead comrade to a French cemetery to have him buried. The priest told them gently that he was bound to ask if their comrade had been a baptized adherent of the Roman Catholic Church. They said that they did not know. The priest said that he was very sorry but in that case he could not permit burial in his churchyard. So the soldiers took their comrade sadly and buried him just outside the fence. The next day they came back to see that the grave was all right and to their astonishment could not find it. Search as they might they could find no trace of the freshly dug soil. As they were about to leave in bewilderment the priest came up. He told them that his heart had been troubled because of his refusal to allow their dead comrade to be buried in the churchyard; so, early in the morning, he had risen from his bed and with his own hands had moved the fence to include the body of the soldier who had died for France. The rules and the regulations put up the fence; but love moved it. [1]
I. Peace is not just in the action of Jesus, but primarily in his person vs. 14
II. His actions
A. Broke down the dividing wall of hostility vs. 14
1. Loosed us; freed us from
2. He broke down the fence between Jew and Gentile
3. ἔχθρα – enmity; plural, of hostile feelings and actions.[2] Hatred,” “hostility,” as an inner disposition, as objective opposition and as actual conflict between nations, groups and individuals.[3] Enmity - positive, active, and typically mutual hatred.
4. That wall was the Law vs. 15
a. Some take it as a reference to the temple balustrade [barrier] separating the Court of Gentiles from the inner courts and the sanctuary in the Jerusalem temple. In 1871 one of its pillars was found and on it was the warning inscription: “No man of another race is to enter within the fence and enclosure around the Temple. Whoever is caught will have only himself to thank for the death which follows.[4]
b. Literally: “the law of the commandments in rules abolished”
Jesus abolished the formalized laws given to Moses, including the 10 commandments.
5. He killed hostility by being killed vs. 16
a. ἀποκτείνω: to cause someone’s death, normally by violent means, with or without intent and with or without legal justification, to kill.[5]
b. In Eph 2.16 there is a subtle rhetorical device employed in ascribing to Christ the activity of ‘killing,’ when in reality he was the one who was killed on the cross in order to make life possible.[6]
B. He created one new person from the two (Jew and Gentile) vs. 15
1. In Greek there are two words for new. There is neos which is new simply in point of time; a thing which is neos has come into existence recently, but there may well have been thousands of the same thing in existence before. A pencil produced in the factory this week is neos, but there already exist millions exactly like it. There is kainos which means new in point of quality. A thing which is kainos is new in the sense that it brings into the world a new quality of thing which did not exist before.
The word that Paul uses here is kainos; he says that Jesus brings together Jew and Gentile and from them both produces one new kind of person. [7]
2. The new kind of person was a Christian Galatians 3:28
C. Reconciled us to God and each other vs. 16
1. When we are right with God we should be right with each other
2. “Through the cross” Colossians 1:21-22
3. ἀποκαταλλάσσω: to reestablish proper friendly interpersonal relations after these have been disrupted or broken ((1) disruption of friendly relations because of (2) presumed or real irritation, (3) unconcealed behavior designed to remove hostility, and (4) restoration of original friendly relations), to reconcile, to make things right with one another, reconciliation.[8]
D. Gave access to the Father vs. 18
1. The word “access” (3:12 and Rom 5:12) is a key concept. It was used in Greek society for the “right to approach,” as when a person received an introduction to the king. This access was more than just the opportunity to approach. Similarly, Christians do not come by their own strength, but are led to God by their “introducer.” [9]
2. Notice that Paul mentions Jesus (him), the Spirit, and the Father
III. What this means to us
A. Salvation is offered to everyone
B. We don’t need “White churches” and “Black churches,” just churches
C. The key to unity is Jesus and what he did for us, not an identical understanding of the Scriptures
D. We can learn much from Moses’ Law, but it is not for the Christian.
Conclusion: Jesus is our peace! Let’s get along with each other because that is what he wants.
[1]The letters to the Galatians and Ephesians. 2000, c1976 (W. Barclay). The Daily study Bible series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.
[2]Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1996, c1979). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[3]Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[4]Lincoln, A. T. (2002). Vol. 42: Word Biblical Commentary : Ephesians. Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
[5]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible societies.
[6]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible societies.
[7]The letters to the Galatians and Ephesians. 2000, c1976 (W. Barclay). Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.
[8]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible societies.
[9]Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians. The College Press NIV commentary. Joplin, Mo.: College Press.