DAY 4. On whose authority? – Ephesians 2:17

On whose authority can we have confidence that the wall of hostility is broken down between God the Father and humankind along with the walls that divide one group of disciples from another? It was Jesus himself who taught that through him there is peace regardless of one’s origin. The divisions are not just those of ethnicity or geography. It can seem that wherever peace breaks out someone will try to build a sinful wall of division. However, the teaching about Christ’s sacrificial death and comes firstly from Jesus himself. There will be those who justifiably argue that the word of God prophesying Jesus coming and sacrifice firstly appears in the Old Testament. But Jesus himself is the Word of God and the Spirit of God through prophesy was pointing to the fulfillment of those words in the person of Jesus. Jesus took extensive time to teach about his forthcoming crucifixion. (Luke 13:33) “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” v17 This teaching then became and essential core of the message given by the apostles who learnt directly from Jesus and the prophets who brought God’s word to the early church. The message was that, “Christ Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone upon which the whole church is built. He is the source of peace. Through him, by the Spirit all Christians have access to God the Father. v17 Paul in this section of the letter is very keen that the Ephesian Church should understand and concentrate on what they have in common in Christ. When members of the church move away from the teaching Christ himself gave, passed on by the apostles, then the walls of division will be reconstructed.