Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, 12 were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, 15 abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. 21 Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; 22 in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Paul is writing to the Ephesians who converted from paganism. Before their conversion, they were despised by the Jews because of their pagan worship. They did not know about the one true God, the Covenants God made with Israel through Abraham, Moses, and David, they were without hope of salvation and did not know about the Israelite expectation of a Messiah (Rom. 9:4). But through the blood of Christ the enmity, the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, has been removed (Gal. 3:28). There is now peace through Christ, and by his sacrifice on the cross (Col. 1:20), he has replaced the Law and all its demands which do not have the power to save, and reconciled Jews and Gentiles with God in himself. They are now one Christian community through Christ (Rom. 1:16).
Christ preached the message of peace to the Gentiles who were far off and to the Jews who were near. They are no longer foreigners and aliens because, through Christ, both Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father through the one Holy Spirit. The Gentile converts are now fellow citizens with the Jewish Christians in the household of God (Lk. 10:20) whose foundation is the Apostles and the NT Prophets (Acts 11:27; 1 Cor. 12:28) with Christ as the cornerstone (Mk. 12:10). Christ holds the two sides together (1 Cor. 3:10-11). Through the risen Christ, they are used to build a holy temple, a dwelling place of God.
Almighty God, Father of all that is good and pure, through the cross you raised humanity from its fallen state to a holy and eternal place with the Risen Christ. We turn to you as members of your household and ask that you never let us fall from your heavenly grace but use the light of Christ to show others the way. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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