The more I read scripture, the more I realize just how much the gospel calls on us as followers of Jesus to live by a totally different set of rules than the rest of the world—a totally different set of rules than we may have lived under previously—a totally different set of rules than we still live under even now (if we’re being honest). We try to live by the priorities of the world, but Jesus calls us to a whole new set of priorities.
Because of this, realigning one’s life with the way of Jesus is not a simple, one-time thing, but an ongoing process of repentance, reevaluation, and reorientation. The values Jesus calls us toward are so contrary to many of the values of the world, that the transition—the conversion—is something we must struggle with nearly every day of our lives.
One of the values Christ calls us toward is the value of unity: tearing down the walls that divide, and coming together as one human family.
What we often try to do instead is to separate ourselves from others, to set up boundaries and barriers. We draw circles to keep others out, especially if they are different from us somehow.
When the Hebrew people arrived in the Promised Land, they were forging a new identity, and they needed to define themselves in contrast to the people around them. So, for them, in that setting, some boundaries were necessary.
And then, later, when they were in captivity, and they were struggling with their identity in light of their new circumstance, they again needed ways to define who they were, in contrast to others—and especially in contrast to their oppressors.
So they developed certain practices that would distinguish them from their neighbors. Like circumcision.
Circumcision was a sign that the people belonged to the household of God. It set them apart from their neighbors, who were outside of that household.
And in many places in the Hebrew Bible, there are warnings against getting too friendly with those neighbors. Warnings about the Moabites, and warnings about people from the land of Uz, warnings about Sidionites, and warnings about foreigners in general. In various places in the Torah, the people of Israel are warned against associating with neighbors such as these. Because, at the time, the people of Israel were still figuring out who they were. They were still establishing their own identity. They were still trying to understand what it meant, to be a people blessed and chosen by God.
But as the years passed, these warnings to beware of their neighbors evolved into prejudice and even hatred. God’s ultimate goal was peace and unity, but these practices that once were helpful to Israel were now a hindrance.
I can’t even begin to count the number of tribes and nations that become enemies to Israel. It’s one after another. And many sections of the Hebrew Scriptures feature one story after another of kings and nations going to war with Israel. Sometimes they prevailed, and sometimes Israel prevailed, but always, there was another war or battle. Violence begot more violence. Hatred begot more hatred.
A new way was needed.
So, as we make our way through the Hebrew Bible, we see many of those old prohibitions being challenged.
Instead of reinforcing the prejudices and boundaries separating the Israelites from the Moabites (for example), we get the story of a Moabite woman named Ruth. Being introduced as a Moabite, one's immediate reaction is to boo and hiss. If she’s a Moabite, then she’s the villain.
But as Ruth’s story plays out in the book that’s named after her, we realize that the story is written in such a way that our sympathies are drawn toward her. We feel for her, we want her to prosper and thrive… and, in the end, she does. And she becomes the great-grandmother of King David, Israel’s greatest king.
And that is a shocking thing! Who would have thought that Israel’s greatest king would be descended from a Moabite?i
The old prejudice has been overturned.
The people from Uz are another group that the Israelites were warned against. Do not associate with them. They should be destroyed! That’s what it says!
But then we get a story about a man from Uz named Job; and Job, it says, was the most righteous man on earth. In the story, God himself says that there was no one like him, that he was a man who was honest, who was of absolute integrity, who revered God and avoided evil.
And the prejudice and hate that had developed against people from Uz is challenged by this story of a righteous man from Uz named Job.
This week in our Brown Bag Bible Bunch small group, we read about the Sidonians. The Sidionians were cursed; and, according to Genesis, they deserved to be cursed. The Sidonians were always bad news for God’s people. Solomon was led astray by his Sidonian wives. Jezebel was a Sidonian. Even the prophet Jeremiah spoke harshly about the Sidonians.
But Jesus praises the Sidonians. Jesus heals the Sidonians. Jesus affirms their faith. And he challenges the prejudices and biases against Sidonians.
There are many other examples like these. It culminates, at least in my mind, when the prophet Isaiah (56:7) declares that God’s house will be a house of prayer for all peoples — all peoples! — which means that all these foreigners, all these people who were being excluded, will be included, and able to worship the same as the people of Israel.
This was Isaiah’s dream, his vision, of a world where ancient animosities and prejudices give way to a recognition that we are all God’s children. It’s like the dream Martin Luther King, Jr., had, a dream of people of all races coming together, joining hands, moving beyond the prejudices and biases of their past.
It is a dream that we are still struggling to realize today.
In Jesus’ time, despite Isaiah’s call for unity, the divisions remained. The temple itself was divided into various courtyards, and non-Jews—people like the Sidonians—were barred from going beyond the outer courtyard. The barriers there between different people were literal barriers: the walls that surrounded the courtyards.
When Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:7, he actually says “My house shall be a house of prayer for all nations,” which further emphasizes how the walls that divide and separate the Jewish people, or, the nation of Israel, are meant to be torn down, so that the people could be united and could worship as one. This unity wasn’t just about me and the guy who lives down the street. It was about the coming together, in peace and unity, of all nations, all peoples.
Which brings us to Ephesians. The topic of this letter involves the differences between two groups of people: the Jewish people, those who are called “the circumcision;” and the Gentiles, those who are called “the uncircumcision.” The law commanded circumcision as a Jewish sign of identity. It separated them from those who were not Jewish.
And as I said, in the days when Judaism was being formed, when the nation of Israel was being formed, and when it was suffering under the oppression of one empire after another, such things were important. As Paul puts it, the Torah’s commands regarding circumcision had value, but now, because of Christ, there is a new emphasis, a new coming together, of all people.
It was time for Jews like Paul to set aside the prejudices of their parents and grandparents, and open their hearts—and their way of life—to those who were not like them. It was time to set aside their hatred, and work toward unity in the body of Christ.
Because, the letter says, Christ “is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups [Jews and Gentiles] into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us… So that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two.”
It’s important to note that in this “one new humanity,” each group or faction still maintains its own identity and uniqueness. Coming together into one does not mean that each must forego their own unique identities. The Gentiles are still Gentiles, and the Jews are still Jews. Those who are called “the circumcision” can remain as they are, and those who are called “the uncircumcision” can remain as they are. One does not have to become like the other. They can be united, even in their diversity.
What a beautiful model for society! The dream of the prophets is alive, and has taken on new form.
It’s not always easy to live this out, put it into practice. But it is our ideal. It is what we strive for. To welcome those who are different, to affirm that they belong here, that all are united in Christ who is our peace.
Sometimes, the dream shines brightly. Other times, the light of the dream is dimmed by those who still want to divide us.
And sometimes, it seems that living into this way of unity and peace is harder than ever before. News media—especially cable news—thrive on division. Some news media personalities do all they can to divide and destroy. They are the “ravenous wolves” of Matthew 7:15, false prophets who sow discontent and who seek to destroy peace and unity, all so they can get more viewers and higher ratings.
And they, along with many of our politicians, are actively working to turn us all against one another. They want us to see each other the way the people of Israel came to see the Moabites and the Sidonians. They ignore the way of Christ, the way of unity and peace. They stifle the dream of the prophets. Because their own power is built on creating divisions and dividing us from one another.
The challenge, then: standing for justice, while loving our neighbor (and even our enemy).
We are called to do all we can to live peaceably with everyone, as Paul says in the book of Romans… but even Jesus admits that there are times when his message will bring a sword and not peace, and will turn neighbor against neighbor and family member against family member.
There is an obvious tension here: because if we whole-heartedly follow the way of Jesus… If we, say, do our absolute best to work for justice for the poor, as I talked about last week… then there will be some who feel divided and excluded, because of their own wealth, or because they’ve bought into the idea that wealth and prosperity are signs of God’s favor.
But tension like this, I’ve come to learn, isn’t always bad. The tension keeps us humble, and it keeps us in a state of discernment. It keeps us walking humbly with God, as we constantly pray for guidance and seek the right path, never completely sure that our own egos aren’t getting in the way.
Despite his calls for unity and his dream of unity, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a divisive figure in his time. The same is true for Jesus. Because they didn’t shy away from speaking the truth.
How ironic it is that a big part of that truth was the importance of casting aside our prejudices and biases that divide.
I suppose that in our pursuit of unity, it’s inevitable that we will upset and divide ourselves from those who insist on maintaining those divisions. I guess that can’t be helped.
But let’s not let that stop us from following the way of Christ, and doing all we can to work for peace and unity among God’s people. Let’s keep building bridges, not barriers. Instead of building walls, let’s build tables where all are welcome.
And who knows? Maybe one day, the dream of the prophets will finally be fully realized.
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