Thursday, July 2 — Strangers Brought Near through Christ
Most of us know what it feels like to be on the outside of something — the new job, the family you married into, the room where everyone already knows each other. Today Paul speaks directly to that feeling.
Ephesians 2:11-22 — KJV
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:11-22 — WEB
11 Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "uncircumcision" by that which is called "circumcision" (in the flesh, made by hands), 12 that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, 15 having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, 20 being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; 21 in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
Explanation
Yesterday Paul described what God did for us as individuals — dead, then made alive. Today he widens the lens to what God did between us. He tells the Gentile believers to remember where they started: outsiders to Israel, strangers to the promises, "having no hope and without God in the world." That is a hard sentence to read about yourself. But Paul makes them remember the distance precisely so they can feel the size of what closed it.
There was, in the actual temple in Jerusalem, a literal barrier — a stone wall with a warning that any Gentile who crossed it would be responsible for his own death. Paul almost certainly has that wall in mind when he says Christ "broke down the middle wall of partition." The cross did not just reconcile people to God vertically; it tore down the fence between people horizontally. "For he is our peace, who made both one." Jesus did not negotiate a truce between two groups. He made one new humanity out of the two.
This is the deep current under Sunday's lesson. The centurion was the very picture of "far off" — a Gentile and a soldier of the occupying army, the kind of man a faithful Jew kept his distance from. Yet Jesus would say of him, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." The wall was already coming down. The "far off" were already being brought near. What Paul explains as doctrine, the centurion lived as a story.
For us, this passage does two things at once. First, it answers our loneliness. If you have ever felt like a stranger — too new, too different, too broken to belong — the gospel says that in Christ you are not a guest who might be asked to leave. You are family, "fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God," a brick built right into God's own temple. You belong by blood, His blood, not by fitting in.
Second, it gives us a job. If Christ tore down the wall, we have no business rebuilding it. The divisions we are tempted to maintain — by race, by class, by politics, by whose people are "in" — He already abolished at the cross. A church that quietly keeps the outsider outside is patching a wall Jesus died to demolish. The same grace that brought you near is meant to flow through you to the next person standing on the outside, wondering if there is room. There is. Christ made it.
Thought for the Day Christ tore down the wall. Don't rebuild what He died to remove.
Reflection Question Who feels like an outsider in your world right now, and what is one concrete way you could help them feel brought near this week?
Prayer Lord Jesus, You are our peace. Thank You for bringing me near when I was far off and for making me part of Your household, not a stranger at the door. Forgive me for the walls I am tempted to keep standing. Make me a builder of welcome, not division, and let someone on the outside find a home through me. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: The Believing Centurion, A Gentile Whose Faith Jesus Commended.