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NO LONGER STRANGERS (EPHESIANS 2:11-22)

REFLECTION

“No longer strangers” is the theme for our reflection. No longer as strangers means welcoming a group of people or receiving or accepting them with pleasure or gladness as part of one’s family. The church is recognised as the family of God and a place where strangers become part of the family of God. We shall reflect on the fact we are no longer strangers to God because of the reconciliation work done by Jesus Christ. Reconciliation is the restoration of a broken or fractured relationship or it is an action that has led to the restoration of an existing hostility or separation between two or more people. In our reflection on Ephesians 2:11-22, we discover that Jesus‘ sacrifice or death on the cross brought about two types of reconciliations, therefore, we are no longer strangers but have been welcomed into the family of God. These are horizontal reconciliation and vertical reconciliation.

Firstly, Jesus brought about a horizontal reconciliation to mend the fractured or hostile relationship that existed among human beings. The hostility was among the Israelites who were deemed to be God’s covenant or chosen people and the Gentiles who were referred to as the uncircumcised. Paul wrote to the Ephesians who were Gentile Christians, “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:11-12). However, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross took away the hostility and made both the uncircumcised and circumcised united and welcomed into the family of God. It is for this reason Paul assured the Gentiles, “… now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.” (Ephesians 2:13-16) The Jewish Christians and all Gentile Christians including we African Christians now belong to the commonwealth of believers known as the universal Church of Christ or the family of God. We are no longer strangers! Through our mutual salvation in Christ, we are reconciled to one another and are now children of God. We are warmly welcomed into the family of God by our status as children of God through the reconciliation work done by Jesus on the cross. It does not matter whether one is Jew, African, Asian or Indian, the good news is that we are all welcome into the family of God so long as we have accepted Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour. This is the meaning of the horizontal reconciliation that has welcomed us into the family of God, something no one could do, not even the United Nations, except Jesus Christ!

Second, apart from the horizontal reconciliation that makes us a family of God, Jesus also brought about a vertical reconciliation between God and humanity (all believers regardless of their race and tribe) Jesus’ sacrifice was the propitiation or atonement that removed the hostility that hitherto existed between sinful humanity and God. Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross brought about a restoration of the vertical relationship or reconciliation of both the Jews and Gentiles (humanity) on one side and God on the other side. Paul puts it this way, “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near (Gentiles and Jews). For through him (Jesus), we both (Gentiles and Jews) have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:17-22). In other words, through our salvation in Jesus Christ, we have been reconciled to God therefore are no longer strangers. We are warmly and gladly welcomed into the family of God. This is the meaning of the vertical relationship or reconciliation between God and humanity or creation.

In summary, the horizontal and vertical reconciliation is equal to the Cross of Jesus or His sacrifice on the cross so that we will be welcomed into the family of God. In other words, without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the cross is meaningless and there will not be a horizontal and vertical reconciliation and relationship that will guarantee our status as members of the family of God. The Cross or crucifix always remind us of the immeasurable gift of salvation Jesus gave to us through His suffering and death on the cross. He brought peace to earth by reconciling humanity and also reconciling humanity to God hence we are no longer strangers. Shalom.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, thank you for making us the beneficiaries of the Cross and welcoming us into the Holy family of God. May we continue to be agents of the ministry of reconciliation, reconciling our fellow human beings to one another and through the power of the Gospel reconciling the lost and perishing to God. Amen.