DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONALS: NOVEMBER 11nDEATH OF CHRIST REMOVED THE WALLS (1) SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 2: 13 – 14
Apostle Paul, in his passion to abolish the hostile laws of inequality and of superiority against the “inferiority groups” by the Jews against the Gentiles talked about how the death of Jesus Christ destroyed the dividing walls of hostility. We will not know how hostile were the laws of segregations established by the Jewish against every non-Jewish till we see the degree of how the laws are carried out historically. For instance, history had it that the Jewish Temple had a “No Passing” sign that prevented all non-Jewish persons from going beyond certain areas in the Temple. The Temple has a section for the Gentiles called “The Court of the Gentiles” as well as the women who had another section called “The Court of the Women.” The law of “No Passing” was enforced on punishment by death. The entire Temple had several Courts for the Priests, the men of Israel and the “Holy of Holies” for the officiating High Priests.
History record said that a stone with the inscription of “No Passing” was found in 1871. The inscription read on the stone reads: – “No foreigner is to enter within the banister and embankment around the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his own death which follows.” The bottom line of this is that “Trespasser will be killed.”_ Apostle Paul was to be killed after he was alleged to have brought a Gentile into the sacred area of the Temple (Acts 21: 27 – 31). We can now understand why Apostle Paul was against these laws. Apostle Paul said that: “For He himself (Jesus Christ) is our peace, who has made the two one (The Jews and the non-Jews) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph. 2: 14 NIV; emphasis is mine). This law that prohibits non-Jews from the sacred areas of the Temple was extended to public sittings in socials events.
The laws favouring discrimination between the Jews and non-Jews, women and salves were kicked out by Apostle Paul, explaining that the death of Jesus Christ and the shedding of His Blood on the Cross have destroyed such divisions and discriminations. He told the Christians in Galatia that “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal.3: 28 NIV). It is baffling to see such segregation and hostile divisions still existing in this our world of 21st Century especially amongst Christians of same denomination as well as other denominations. Allowing such to exist, under church doctrines shows we have no regard for the death of Jesus and the expatiation of His Blood for mankind.
PRAYER:
ALMIGHTY FATHER, heal the bodies of Christ of sins of discriminations and segregations which accounts for major reasons Christians have no unity of purposes on the earth.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch
