January 9
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THE PRINCE OF PEACE
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; 16 and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility. -Ephesians 2:13-16
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In this letter of Paul to the Ephesians, we get an understanding of the value of the blood of Christ. You may be asking what is the importance of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. In verse 14, Paul explains to us the two groups which are the law keepers and the one who lives under grace. By dying on the cross, he reconciled all human beings with God. In verse 15, he further tells us that that act of dying on the cross is to crash the walls dividing the Jews and the Gentiles. The objective of the sacrifice on the cross is the reason why our Prince of Peace was sent in the first place. Verse 16 says that reconciliation to God through his death is fulfilled because he now has put aside the hostility and conflict that exists between the two factions.
David Guzik comments on the blood of Jesus as: “Many people suggest different ways to come near to God. Some think you can come by keeping the law or by belonging to a group (such as Israel or even the church). But the only way to be brought near to God is by the blood of Christ. What Jesus did on the cross, suffering as a guilty sinner in the place of guilty sinners, brings us near to God.” Jesus Himself is our peace;
The wall of separation is gone because the common Lordship is greater than any previous division. If the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not greater than any difference you have with others – be it political, racial, economic, language, geography or whatever, then you have not fully understood what it means to be under the Lordship of Jesus. The source of contention between Jew and Gentile was the fact that the Gentiles did not keep the law. But since Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf, and since He bore the penalty for our failure to keep the law, we are reconciled through His work on the cross – putting to death the source of contention.
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REFLECTION
• How has the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross change your life as a believer?
• Why does the world think peace-keeping is the same as peace-making?