When Christ came on the scene, it was in a time of hatred, faction, and division. Judaism was divided into three factions: the middle-class Pharisees, the rich aristocratic Sadducees, and the Essenes, who had taken vows of poverty.
All three of these groups disliked each other and looked down on the Galileans, whom they regarded as hot-tempered, uneducated peasants. Yet two things united them even with the hotheaded Galileans.
- Their intense hatred of foreigners.
- And their fierce nationalism.
Hatred dominated
In addition to their fervent nationalism, all three factions were dominated by an intense hatred of foreigners, especially of the Romans. This is not surprising, given the oppressive nature of Roman rule. They were controlled by soldiers everywhere and crushed under heavy taxes and restrictive laws.
The Romans even regulated the religious life of the Jewish people. The high priest, before he could officiate in the temple, always had to apply to the procurator for his garments, because they were kept in government custody!
But the Jews disliked the Samaritans even more, a racially mixed society of Jewish and Gentile ancestry. The Samaritans had also created their own religion (a distorted sect of Judaism) which the Jews considered heresy. This made the Samaritans more repulsive to them than the Gentile pagans. They were regarded as half-breeds who had defiled the true religion.
Dividing walls
The Pharisees in particular, in order to keep themselves cerimoniously pure, established rules to separate Jews and Gentiles. According to these laws, Jews were forbidden to:
- Have dealings with Gentiles (business or private) for a period of 3 days before their pagan religious festivals and even their private celebrations.
- Pass through Gentile towns, entering their buildings, or even assist in their building projects.
- Rent or sell their property or livestock to Gentiles.
- Leave a Gentile alone after inviting him into one’s home.
- Allow Gentiles to use their personal belongings. (Anything touched by gentiles had to be destroyed or purified, even down to the sharpening of knives!)
- Eat or drink anything prepared by Gentile hands. (No wonder the issue of meat offered to idols was so hotly debated in Paul’s day!)
This extreme zealotry usually led the often tolerant Gentiles to retaliate in kind. They ridiculed Jewish religious customs and their worship of an invisible God. And with the usual superiority of conquerors, they expressed their contempt for a subjugated people who dared to look down on them, the mighty Romans.
Sadly their zeal to maintain purity even led to acts of downright unkindness and neglect. Under Pharisaic law it was also forbidden to help a Gentile in childbirth or any other time of need!
Christ in this negative atmosphere
When Jesus arrived on the scene, it was into this atmosphere of contempt and hatred. And He came with a teaching that was revolutionary for that time. For He came to break down the walls of hatred and division.
Christ came teaching people to agree with their adversaries, to love and forgive their enemies, and to help everyone, foreigner or native. Through His parable of the Good Samaritan, the Lord taught that everyone is a neighbor to be loved, respected, and cared for. (Luke 10:25-37)
A revolutionary thought
For the first-century Jewish mind, this was a most revolutionary teaching. There was no hint of such a thing in their pharisaic laws. Nor did the environment in which they lived, so filled with division and hatred, prepare them for such a radical idea.
Their Old Testament prophets, especially Isaiah in chapter 66, spoke of a time in the distant future, when these dividing walls would be torn down. But in that political and religious climate, this seemed impossible. The idea that Jews and Gentiles would actually become one, was apparently inconceivable to them.
But not long after, a devout Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus, encountered the risen Lord and was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Christ commissioned him to proclaim the good news that salvation had come not only to Israel, but to every nation, tribe, and kingdom.
It was this Apostle Paul who proclaimed that through Christ, Jews and Gentiles were united into one people and one family, the Church of Jesus Christ the Messiah.
In his teaching, Paul proclaimed this as a mystery that had been kept secret for long ages, now made known to all nations.
God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
Colossians 1:25-27 NLT
Jesus came to break down dividing walls. He came to bring peace. Peace between man and God, and peace among men. For He Himself is our peace who breaks down every wall.
Christ’s kingdom of peace remains a revolutionary teaching even in today’s world of conflict and discord. It is and continues to be the greatest and most startling revelation of miraculous love and grace which not only removes the crushing burden of the law, but also its dividing walls.
Christ still tears down walls today
He also wants to break down our walls. The walls we build that create division instead of love and friendship. Walls of cultural or ethnic division. Walls we build with rules not found in Scripture, or with secondary issues. Walls we construct with the hard stones of comparison, pride, and lack of acceptance. Barriers we form to keep us from associating with those we consider inferior, unclean, or unholy.
Yes, the Lord still breaks down the dividing walls of hostility. And if we let Him in, His peace will tear down the walls we build that separate us from God and from our fellow man.
The peace of Christ builds bridges not walls. Bridges that help us unite across barriers and differences. Bridges that make everyone a neighbor to love and help.
Where could you begin to build some bridges today?
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.
Ephesians 2:13-14
Resources: An essay/summary based on Chapter 2: Jews and Gentiles in the Land of Sketches of Jewish Social Life; in public domain.
Images: Jerusalem steps | Priests & Jerusalem in distance by www.LumoProject.com from FreeBibleImages.org.
Signora Sheila 