What is the wall of separation (Ephesians 2:14)?

Response

The first three sections of Ephesians shed light on God’s interventions on our behalf. In this context, Ephesians 2:14 declares, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” The “wall of hostility” is also referred to as the “wall of separation” (NKJV), symbolizing the animosity between Jews and Gentiles before the latter were embraced into God’s family through Christ’s sacrifice.

The symbolic barrier of separation finds its roots in the Old Testament. Following Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, God gave them moral, civil, and ceremonial laws that distinguished the Israelites. Israel was designated as God’s “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” «and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. », (Exodus 19:6). The differentiation between Jews and Gentiles primarily held a spiritual significance, as seen in Gentiles turning to God and being welcomed into the family. Notable instances include Rahab, Ruth, Uriah the Hittite, Naaman, and Jethro. Additionally, the Torah included laws for the just treatment of foreigners, like Leviticus 19:34, which proclaims, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

Nevertheless, due to cultural disparities between Jews and Gentiles, the conflict extended beyond religious practices. Jews viewed other nations as ritually unclean and thus adopted a stance of superiority. In reality, a physical partition in the temple courtyard of Jerusalem restricted Gentiles from certain areas, and Paul encountered hostility after being falsely accused of bringing a Gentile aCross this barrier (Acts 21:27-29).

Fortunately, Christ has symbolically broken down the wall of separation between Gentiles and Jews. He achieved this by “setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace” «having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; », (Ephesians 2:15). Christ forged a new creation from both Jews and Gentiles, as foretold in the Old Testament (Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; Micah 4:2).

The unity between Jews and Gentiles was a challenging concept for the Jews of Paul’s era to grasp, and conflict arose, starting with Peter’s preaching to Cornelius, a Roman centurion. In Acts 11:1–18, Luke recounts the confrontation between Peter and disgruntled Jews regarding his visit to Cornelius. Although that particular conversation concluded positively (verse 18), ongoing tension persisted, leading to a church council over whether Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved (Acts 15). The stern letter from Paul to the Galatians highlights this issue. Nevertheless, the fundamental truth remained that Christ had united both Jews and Gentiles, breaking down the dividing wall. The same applies to other categories, as Galatians 3:28 confirms that all in Christ have equal spiritual standing: “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

We may not encounter the same division between Jews and Gentiles today, but there are groups of people we may consider unclean. While we should lead holy lives that are separate from sin, we must resist con

Constructing barriers of division that Christ has already dismantled. Anyone in Christ is our sibling, irrespective of tribe, nation, skin color, language, and so on.