The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 96

ha'ring given his Son for them I .And yet, of those who have the opportunity how few enter int-0 the felicity of the enjoyment of God's love I ' IV. THEIR ALTERED POSITION. "But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far oft are made nigh in the blood of Christ." God had his earthly dwelling-place in the te:mple at Jerusalem. Th~ Gent~es were literally far off from this centre, compared with the Jews. But the distance m space was only emblematic of the moral distance at which they stood from God. They were at II distance, in their being out of harmony with his character. They were at a distance, in the displeasure with which he regarded their actions. But in Christ, in his becoming the personal historical Jesus, all this was alte!"f'd. They were brought into II position of nearness to God. Christ effected this by his blood. The blood which was shed ori Jewish altars was only for Jews. The Jewish high priest represented the twelve tribes, but no more. The blood of Christ had a wider reference. It was for Gentiles as well as for Jews. .And that being the case, Gentiles were kept no longer at a distance. ,. JE"WS il"D Gn.'""TILES BROUGHT INTO AMICABLE RELATION!!. "For he is our Peace, -who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, havinD" abolished in his iiesh the e.nmity, e,en the law of commandments contained in ordin~ces; that he might create in himself of the twain one new man, so making peace." There is a change from" ye "to" our." There is a difference of opinion as to the extent of meaning belong- ing to the words, "he is our Peace." It is admitted that, in the two verses here, the idea of pttUJe between 'both receives decided expression. But some think that there is also to be brought in. though subordinately, the idea of the peace of both toward God. The objection to that is, that it is superfluous. For already it has been said of the Gentiles that obstacles have been removed out of their way, and afterward there is the thought of both being reconciled to God, and also of peace, i.e. reconcilation to God, being preached to both. It seems much simpler, then, here to confine the thought to peace between both. Christ is this Peace in his own person. In him there is neither Jew nor Gentile. His work is described as making both (parts) one; and the manner of his doing it as breaking down the middle wall of partition. It seems warrantable to explain this by an intended refereuce to the arrangement in the temple. There was there a separating of Jews from Gentiles. There was a wall or boundary beyond which Gentiles were forbidden to advance. As by the rending of the veil was signified the opening of the way into the holiest of all, so by what is described as the breaking down of the middle wall of partition we are to understand that Jews and Gentiles are brought into the same =mess to God. The middle wall of partition is explained to be the law of cum1mrndments ront,ained in ordinan=. The Mosaic Law was, on one side, a system oi sepa:-a,ion. It was like a wall enclosing the Jews and shutting off the Gentiles. It forbade all familiar intercourse with the Gentiles. As Christ was called Peace, so the Mosaic system is here made synonymous with enmity or estrangement. The Jews were not to bate other nations (for Jehovah was the God of all the earth, and they were told of a time when all nations were to be blessed) ; but, as things were, they were necessarily separated in feeling from them. And the Gentiles, on their side, were not slow to hate the Jews for their exclusiveness. The Mosaic system, then, in its incidence especially on the Gee.tiles, was enmity. And this enmity, we _are told_ here, Chrisi abolished in his flesh. The Jewish Law he fulfilled, and, by fulfilhng,'.abolished, so thai it was no more a separation, or cause of estrangement. The rending of the veil pointed to a rending of bis flesh. So the breaking down of the wall suggests a breaking in his :flesh. It was a breaking, it is further suggested, that, Jew and Gentile perishing, there might rise out of both a new creation, viz. Ohristian. "'l'hat he might create in himself of the twain one new man." The breaking thus resulted in a peacemaking : " So making peace." VI. How THIS wAS SHOWN. 1. In their being placed in one Church as recrmciled to God by the sarM ?Mans. "And might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." The:e is an: advance from "one ne\v ma.n" to "one body." "Christian" was created ; but it '_Vas m _order that a body . of C~,ristiar,s might be formed- In this body Jews and Gentiles might very well be tog<:ther; for they ha<l the deepest ground of union in their both being reconciled to &.d.. Triis equality extl':nded even to the instrument of reconcilation, viz. the Cross• . Wben they were thus reconciled to God by the same means, "the enmity was slain;" cm. 11, 1-22.) THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 93