Jesus Christ the Peace Maker

I have no idea what it means to grow up white, black, Indian or Asian – for obvious reasons. So I can’t speak of their experiences growing up with the ethnicities. Even though my grandfather, from my mother’s side, was a Tswana man. But under the parenting of my two Colored parents, I grew up as a ‘colored man’. And I’m comfortable with that and with the term.

And as part of growing up among my people there is a lot of fun and unique things. Such as eating ”kerrie vis” over Easter weekend. And we do not play dominoes, but we play ‘dums’. Unfortunately, with every culture and ethnicity comes the fallenness of mankind. And one of the colored weaknesses is: you cannot leave. And by leave I mean, entering the white culture – for example, having a white friend or doing anything that seemed like something a white person would do. We even have expresssions for these. And one of the favorite ones is “Jy hou vir jou wit” (you think you white). Implying that, just as white people, you think you are better than colored people. Because deep down we were trained to believe that white people are better, so entering their culture is to think yourself better than colored people.

So you find yourself stuck between these two worldviews. Either you demonize whites and never move wider than your own group. Or you idolize them because moving outside your people implies that they are better. So for me: As much as RACISM was a reality from the outside-in. It was very much a reality from the inside-out as well. You had to pick a side.

However, for Paul remaining stuck in your own ethnical huddle while demonizing others is not the solution to ethnical differences. At least not for the church. And denying your own group while idolizing the other is also not the solution. To reason this way is to say that. There is no better option to deal with ethnical differences. Than to find the solution in one of the two groups. So when dealing with the church in Ephesus. Paul puts forward a better solution for the Jew and Gentile problem. And his answer is the Person of Christ.

Last time we saw in verses 11 and 12 that Christ came to bring peace for the Gentiles by making them part of the church through the death of Jesus Christ. This week we will see that he is the only and best answer of peace for both Jew and Gentile. And that neither group is the answer.

Notice in the passage, starting in verse 14,  For he himself is our peace who has made the two groups one. Then in verse 15, Setting aside in his flesh. Meaning, no other human or humans would do. Only Jesus Christ’s flesh alone will do. Then further in verse 15, To create in himself one new humanity. Meaning, the new humanity God is creating takes after the humanity of Jesus Christ. And in verse 16, And in one body to reconcile both of them. Then in verse 20, Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

In other words, the only solution to ethnical division is the Person of Christ. Because only in Christ are people united and equal and at peace. To put it another way, neither to remain in one’s tribe – away from others. Nor to became one of them by – forgetting who you are is the answer. Why? Because we need someone outside and more than ourselves. Here Paul says that, that person is Jesus Christ. Because he is superior in humanity, as the second Adam and Ideal and perfect person. So Christ does not only make sense of our ethnicities in it’s weaknesses. But he also defines what it really means to be human as well.

Notice in verses 11 to 13. The Gentiles are disqualified for not being Jews. And the Jews are disqualified for thinking the Gentiles ought to be Jews. For Paul, It’s only Christ who possesses the perfect humanity to qualify both Jew and Gentile to a new and unified humanity.

If you think about it. If Racism could ever be practiced as an acceptable worldview. Then Christ is the only one who could do so. He alone is the ideal, perfect and superior human. And the fact that he does not practice racism makes it double the sin for those who do. In this way, to be racist, meaning classifying your ethnicity as superior to another. Is not only to place yourself above another. But it’s to place yourself equal to Jesus. Assuming yourself to be a perfect human as he is. But Paul is clear that Jesus Christ alone is the answer for ethnical division and therefore unity.

Notice in verse 13. The position and proximity of Christ to God.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The word “Near” does not only describe that the Gentiles were “far away” from God. More so, It implies that Christ alone was “Near” enough to God, to bring them near.

John 1:1-2 reminds us that, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. This means that, no ethnicity possesses the nearness to God through the color of their skin. In the new creation there is no signs saying “Whites Only”. And you not only getting into the new creation if you voted ANC. In Acts 11, Peter gets wrongfully criticized for going into a Gentile’s house. And this is his response to the criticism in verse 17. So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way? This is to say that, your nearness to God cannot be approved or disapproved by anyone other than Jesus Christ. And your nearness to him is so personal: He touches your life.

Notice in verse 14 and 15. How Christ nullifies and disqualifies both Jew and Gentile as credible and coveted ethnicities in their own rights. And on the contrary, he presents a humanity entirely different and unique from both. Verse 14 says, “He made the two groups one”. “He destroyed the barrier”. “He divided the wall of hostility”. Jesus Christ acts deliberately against segregation. Jesus Christ destroys the barrier – the wall of hostility. Which at the time was a real wall at the temple. Designed to keep out the Gentiles to the places only accessible to the Jews.

Verse 15 tells us, how Jesus destroyed the barrier and wall. By setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.  The law made it impossible for the Gentiles and Jews to come together. The point here is not firstly the destruction of the wall and barrier of the law. But the focus point is the means whereby the destruction was achieved. Verse 15 says, “In his flesh”. Look at what the rest of the verse 15 says. “His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity”.

Thus, for the church the answer of racism lies not in new rules and regulations. Even though rules, regulations, systems and policies all have their place. Both for the good and the bad of it. But we need new people in Christ Jesus. Created in his flesh. And not new regulations. Because people put together regulations. So if the people are new the regulations will serve equality.

Since I’m married to a Caucasian woman. I get asked this question often: How does her family feel about you? And I understand why people ask me this. Given that the world we live in is so racist, it is very possible that he parents do not like me. But I can joyfully say, Their newness in Christ shows in every word, text, hug and prayer.