Monday Morning Musings is a hodgepodge of contemplations as I begin a new week. Check-in on Monday morning to receive a myriad of thoughts from my vapid brain.
My Monday Morning Musings include ongoing thoughts I have had about the divisions in our culture. I firmly believe the Bible can speak into our current cultural conversation if we allow it. The Bible is replete with examples of God bringing together two different people and people groups. Here are some of my thoughts on the topic from Ephesians 3.
The Ministry of Jesus: The Depth and Breath
When you consider the ministry and purpose of Jesus, what immediately comes to mind? Perhaps you think about his parables or his famous Sermon on the Mount. What about the immense compassion demonstrated by Jesus to the poor, sick, and needy. Often, the compassion of Jesus was accompanied by a miracle. You will be in good company if you make a beeline to His death and resurrection. It’s one thing for Jesus to be a great moral teacher. But so show the world he is the Son of God by forgiving sins through his atoning death and then rising from the dead – we are talking about next-level stuff. There are times when I think about our Lord, and my mind gravities to the day He will come back to complete His mission of redemption and restoration. There is a lot we can say about the ministry and purpose of Jesus.
Perhaps one of the most undervalued distinctive of the ministry of Jesus, which is a theme in the entire New Testament, is the reconciliation between Jew and Gentile. If you read the New Testament, you know there is a dynamic between Jew and Gentile, but do you grasp the power of the gospel to overcome the gap that existed. The chasm between the Jew and Gentile is deeper and wider than the Grand Canyon. From a Jewish perspective, disassociating with Gentiles was baked into the religious cake. So, you could imagine, a religion that creates an “us versus them” mentality also creates prejudices and unjust stereotypes. As it is with any generation, from every part of the world, humans beings create walls between themselves and other people. As Christians, we must be mindful and careful not to fall into the same trap as many 1st century religious Jews. Prejudices and unjust stereotypes create walls and division. Here is an example of an “us versus them” mentality in our culture.
Identity Politics
Identity politics has created more walls than Trump’s border wall efforts. Identity politics has taken one group of people and pitted them against another group of people for political or personal gain. Don’t believe me? Turn on the news for 5 minutes and listen for the “us versus them” narrative. It won’t take long, and once you are aware, it’s easy to spot.
What makes the teaching and ministry of Jesus revolutionary is that he knocked down the dividing walls between Jew and Gentile. His message shattered the identity politics of the day. The wall between Jew and Gentile was wide and high. But Jesus, the Son of God, was sent into the world to share and demonstrate the message of salvation for Jew and Gentile, thus bringing down walls that divide.
New Concepts of Unity
In Ephesians 3:6, we read about three concepts that level the playing field between Jew and Gentile. These concepts are worldview-shattering ideas. Because of the gospel of Jesus Christ Gentiles are:
- Fellow heirs
- One body
- Partakers of the promises
Let’s take a look at each concepts.
Fellow Heirs
Paul says the Gentiles are fellow heirs with the Jews. To be an heir means to legally be in a position to receive property or rank from another on a person’s death.
So, many parents create a will outlining what their children will inherit upon the time of their death. The children are heirs.
What do Christians inherit? First, we can point back to all the spiritual blessings of Ephesians 1.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…
– Ephesians 1:3
Ephesians 1 is a great place to start. God’s elect has every spiritual blessing.
I also think there is a futuristic or eschatological angle here. There will be a day when Christians will inherit heaven, and they will be with Jesus. A disciple of Jesus Christ will see Him face to face.
From a Christian perspective, what else would you want to inherit? Right? Would you rather have gold? A nice house? Would you rather inherit what is perishable? Or would you rather inherit what is imperishable?
This point alone distinguishes Christianity from other faiths. Without Christ, a person is left with the insatiable desire to inherit what is physical, what is tangible. When a person is in Christ, he or she looks to Jesus as their inheritance.
One Body
The second concept Paul uses to describe how Jews and Gentiles are in Christ is the human body. The Greek word Paul uses for the body (σύσσωμος) is not found before the New Testament was written, and it is only found in Ephesians 3:6. It’s possible Paul coined this word to help describe the relationship between a diversity of people in the church.
σύσσωμος means that Jews and Gentiles are of the same body, and it’s a body whose head is Christ. The growth of the body depends on Christ. Each member functions dependently on the other members of the body.
Think about what this means for the local church. Every member of the local church is needed by the other. Each appendage of the body is essential. If you are a foot, you matter to God and others. If you are a neck, you matter to God and others. Every part of the body has value and can contribute to the whole. So, what part of the body are you?
Partakers of Promises
The third concept has to do with promises. Paul says Jew and Gentiles are partakers of the promises.
We see in Ephesians 2:12 the Gentiles were strangers to the covenants of promise. And because they were strangers, they had no hope, and they were without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12). Take note of the past tense.
It seems the Old Testament covenants are in view here. We could go back and look at Adamic, Noaic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants and tease out how God has always been faithful. God has made promises through covenants, and God always follows through on his promises. The church, the New Israel, is the beneficiary of God’s promises. Remember, a significant point Paul makes, and why he writes from prison, is that there is no Jew and Gentile. There is only Christian. The mission of God is to bring together all kinds of people into one family who can look at the promises of a Messiah, the promise of redemption, and the promise of a future restoration, and say, God has been faithful to fulfill his promises. God will continue to be faithful to fulfill his promises.
In Sum
The purpose and ministry of Jesus are multi-fold. One aspect is the reconciliation God offers through the gospel. Reconcilation happens between an individual and God. And the gospel has implications on the various members of a local church. Perhaps there is no better way to summerize this blog post than Galatians 3:28-29
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
– Galatians 3:28–29