These verses from Ephesians could be titled “Finding Our Roots.” While there is keen interest these days in finding our genealogical roots, Ephesians invites us to consider our roots as people of faith. This is likely something to which we already have given some thought: in terms of denominational affiliation or theological leaning, or perhaps godparents or persons of faith who have guided us.
Ephesians, however, is drawing our attention to another lineage—one we may find surprising.
Roots and groups
To fully appreciate this, we need to identify with the “you” addressed by the writer: that is, “you Gentiles [ethnē] by birth, called the uncircumcision” (verse 11). The Greek word ethnē refers to either
- a group of persons who are unified by kinship, culture, and tradition, or
- those who are viewed as different from, or “other” than, another established ethnos.1
In Ephesians, Gentiles (that’s us) are “the other.” The established ethnos, called “the circumcision,” are a people united by kinship, culture, and tradition through the covenant made between God and Abraham (Genesis 17:10–11). It is to this group that the writer belongs (3:1). Gentiles, the writer says, are “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope in the world” (verse 12).
This is a description of ourselves that we may not embrace comfortably. But to fully experience the impact of the passage, it is an identity that we need to own at least for a while. It can offer a growing space in which we consider what it is to be an outsider. Some of us are already well familiar with this space; for others it may feel new and unfamiliar.
Making the two into one
Uncomfortable as it may make us feel, it is the experience of “otherness” that the writer wants us to remember. This is so that we may also experience being drawn into the new humanity in Christ. In verses 13–18 the writer focuses on this experience in a very particular way, developing three themes:
Those far and near: In verse 13, the writer describes “the uncircumcision” as those who were far off, but now have been brought near. The language of far/near is repeated in verse 17, but in contrast to verse 13, here it refers to two separate groups, each of whom are recipients of Christ’s proclamation of peace. In between verses 13 and 17, there are multiple references to the two becoming one: making both groups one (verse 14); creating one new humanity (verse 15); reconciling both groups to God in one body (verse 16).
Although the emphasis of the passage is on oneness, the writer repeatedly states that this unity is created from two groups, who represent different customs, traditions, and perspectives. Unity between the two groups comes about not by one group giving up its identity to become like the other. Rather, unity arises from their shared identity in Christ. Both those who were near and those who were far become, together, something new in Christ. This is brought home in verse 18: “both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.”
Peace: There are four references to “peace” (verses 14, 15, 17 [2x]). The first declares, “He is our peace” (verse 14). The phrasing is notable, placing focus not on peace as a state of being, but on peace as something effected in Jesus’ flesh (“through the cross” [verse 16]). Christ makes both groups into one (verse 14) by creating in himself “one body in place of two” and “thus making peace” (verse 15). To say that Christ is “our peace” (verse 14) is to recognize that “our” refers to us and them, not just us.
The final two references to peace are in verse 17: “So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near …” Note that the proclamation comes after peace has been made through Christ. It begins with the work of the cross. As something proclaimed (euaggelizō), the peace effected in Christ is a “good news” message, proclaimed to all, without preference and without reference to their former proximity to God.
Reconciliation: The references to peace strategically surround the key phrase “reconcile both groups to God” (verse 16). This reconciliation occurs in two directions. In the first instance (verse 14), the hostility refers to what separates “the circumcision” and “the uncircumcision.” The “dividing wall” likely is the wall that prevented Gentiles from entering the inner courts of the Jerusalem Temple.2The word translated as “abolished” (“abolished the law”) is katargeō. It can also mean to set aside, or release from obligation.3This suggests the possibility that the writer is referring to the law’s requirement of circumcision, which was a barrier to the Gentiles.
In the second reference to hostility (verse 16), the focus shifts. Here, reconciliation is between God and humankind: Christ reconciles “both groups to God in one body, through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.” The result is that, through Christ, both groups have access through the one Spirit to God (verse 18). This means that those who were once far off (that’s us) are no longer strangers and aliens (verse 19). Rather, the two groups together have become members of the household of God, collectively growing into a holy temple, a dwelling place for God (verses 19–22).
Remembering that we were once outsiders to the promises of God invites reflection on how we view the household of God today:
- Are there ways we divide ourselves into those who are “near” and those who are “far off”?
- What does unity look like? How is it demonstrated?
- How do we make room for the different customs, traditions, and perspectives among the many who constitute this new humanity?
- How can we deal with differences in ways that build up the household of God?
Notes
- BDAG.
- Margaret Y. MacDonald, Colossians and Ephesians, Sacra Pagina 17 (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2000), 244.
- BDAG.
