Ephesians 2.11-18 (5)
Pray Psalm 133.1, 3.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity…
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.
Sing Psalm 133.1, 3.
(Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara: Children of the Heavenly Father)
O behold, how sweet, how pleasant, when the brethren dwell together;
all in unity abiding find God’s blessing there presiding.
Read Ephesians 2.11-18; meditate on verse 18.
Meditate on the idea of reconciliation. What is it? How did Jesus accomplish it? Have you ever experienced reconciliation?
Preparation
1. What did Jesus do for Jews and Gentiles?
2. How did He do that?
Meditation
The peace and reconciliation Jesus accomplished for Jews and Gentiles erased an enmity which had lasted for centuries. That enmity, as practiced for example by the Romans (and before them the Babylonians et al) meant oppression, harsh rule, and limiting freedoms. On the part of the Jews toward the Gentiles it meant having no fellowship or communion with them and not caring a fig about their needs.
Enmity is the opposite of friendship, as we see in James 4.4: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” Jesus has now made friends of those who formerly were enemies.
Jesus has overcome suspicion, fears, and enmity and made friends of former enemies by giving Himself for their salvation. There is one God, one faith, and one Church and body of witnesses and Kingdom-seekers who are working to proclaim the Good News and restore the reconciled world to its original “very good” condition. The old enmity has been buried in a now-empty tomb and the new friendship demonstrates to the world that the Father has sent Jesus for our salvation (Jn. 17.21).
Except that we don’t see much of that friendship among churches today. For all the world knows, Christian churches are enemies, competing for members, money, and more. Churches are not visible in their communities as friends together in Jesus and the Father. Very few efforts are undertaken to unite the brethren, break down the walls that divide us, and bear common witness to our neighbors.
Such friendships must begin at the individual level, between people of different denominations and communions. Do we believe in Jesus? Do we trust the Word of God? Do we believe that God is One? If those are not enough grounds for friendship—at least at some level—then I don’t know what are. We do not lack grounds for making our friendship more visible. We lack vision and effort. Those lacking, it’s no wonder the people in our community see nothing in the churches to attract their interest.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and
by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.
When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes
even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16.6).
If this is true about our enemies, what does it mean for those with whom we are to be united?
We are one body through the suffering of Christ on the cross (Eph. 2.16).
We are one body through the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Eph. 1.20).
We are one body because God is One, and we are to be holy, as He is holy (Deut. 6.4; 1 Pet. 1.16).
As one body we have access to One God, because of the work of His One Son,
Who has now given us His One Spirit (Eph. 2.16). All believers. Everywhere.
But like everything else in the Kingdom of God, the work starts within individual hearts.
How can we expect peace and oneness in our family if we do not have peace with God?
How can we expect peace in the church when we cannot make peace within our home?
How can we expect peace and oneness in our communities if church members are not one?
How then can we have oneness in the Church writ large if community churches cannot be one?
And how, pray tell, do we expect to have peace in the world when God’s people can’t be one?
Here is how Jesus responded to His disciples’ “churchly” complaint—distraught, they were, because someone had cast out demons in Jesus’ Name but who “does not follow us.” Audible gasps all around.
But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My Name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side” (Mk. 9.38-40).
“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?
Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (Mk. 9.50). The wall has been broken down.
The following hymn is about more than the local church—sweet as that idea might be—it is about the Church worldwide—God’s One idea for His Kingdom come, and His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6.10).
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation, by water and the Word;
From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
Elect from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses, with every grace endued.
Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed;
Yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.
Yet she on earth hath union with God, the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.
(Samuel J. Stone, 1868)
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133.1).
Reflection
1. What is your responsibility for helping your church know the unity we have in Jesus?
2. Jesus has left us His peace. How do you experience that peace? When do you seek it?
3. How would you explain to a non-Christian friend what it means to have peace with God?
We are all sinners; and forgiveness of sins cannot be obtained but through the grace of Christ. He adds, in one body, to inform the Jews, that to cultivate union with the Gentiles will be well-pleasing in the sight of God. John Calvin (1662-1714), Commentary on Ephesians 2.16
Pray Psalm 133.2, 3.
Pray that God will revive His churches and that in being revived we may realize more of the reconciliation Jesus has accomplished for us.
Sing Psalm 133.2, 3.
(Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara: Children of the Heavenly Father)
Like the precious oil of blessing flowing down on Aaron’s vestment,
God’s anointing rests forever where His people dwell together.
Like the dew of Hermon’s fountain falling down on Zion’s mountain,
so the blessing of the Savior dwells where unity finds favor.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are immersed in the first of 14 studies on “grace economics”. This week our Read Moore podcast begins a tour of the exaltation of Christ and His work in the here and now from our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint reaches The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
