Ephesians 2.17-Jesus Christ Came and Preached Peace to the Jewish and Gentile Christian Communities
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday January 27, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:17-Jesus Christ Came and Preached Peace to the Jewish and Gentile Christian Communities
Lesson # 119
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of remembering that formerly each of you who belong to the Gentile race with respect to the human body, specifically, those who receive the designation “uncircumcision” by the those who receive the designation “circumcision” with respect to the human body performed by human hands, 12 each one of you used to be characterized as without a relationship with Christ. Each one of you used to be alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship. Specifically, each of you used to be strangers to the most important promise, which is the product of the covenants. Each of you used to not possess a confident expectation of blessing. Consequently, each one of you used to be without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system. 13 However, because of your faith in and your union and identification with Christ Jesus each and every one of you as a corporate who formerly were far away have now been brought near by means of the blood belonging to this same Christ. 14 For He Himself personifies our peace. Namely, by causing both groups to be one. Specifically, by destroying the wall, which served as the barrier, that is, that which caused hostility (between the two). 15 In other words, by nullifying by means of His human nature the law composed of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws in order that He might cause the two to be created into one new humanity by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. Thus, He caused peace to be established (between the two and God). 16 In other words, in order that He would reconcile both groups into one body to God (the Father) through His cross. Consequently, He put to death the hostility (between the two and the two with God) by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. 17 Correspondingly, He as a result came proclaiming peace for the benefit of each and every one of you, namely, those who were far off likewise peace to those were near. (Lecturer’s translation)
The declarative statement contained in Ephesians 2:17 corresponds to the previous assertions presented in Ephesians 2:11-16 because both speak of Jewish and Gentile Christian communities experiencing peace with each other and with God through faith in Christ and through the baptism of the Spirit at justification.
However, Ephesians 2:14-16 describes how Jesus Christ accomplished this peace between the two and these two with God whereas Ephesians 2:17 states that He came to these two groups and preached this peace to both of them.
The noun eirēnē (εἰρήνη) appears twice in Ephesians 2:17.
The first time it is modified by the articular expression tois makran (τοῖς μακρὰν), “those who were far off” and the second is modified by the articular expression tois engys (τοῖς ἐγγύς), “those who were near.”
As was the case in Ephesians 2:14 and 15, the noun eirēnē (εἰρήνη) here in Ephesians 2:17 means “peace” since the word pertains to harmonious relations and freedom from disputes and the absence of war between groups of people.
In other words, it pertains to the state of experiencing reconciliation.
It not only speaks of the peace between Gentile and Jewish Christians but also it pertains to the peace that exists between both groups and God.
This is indicated by the contents of Ephesians 2:16, which inserts that Jesus Christ reconcile both groups into one new humanity “to God” through His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross.
Jesus Christ personifies this peace that exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians in relation to God for four reasons.
First, He is “the author” of peace since Ephesians 2:14 asserts that He caused both Jewish and Gentile Christians to be one group.
Secondly, His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross, which constitute Him suffering the Father’s wrath, are “the basis” for this peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians.
The Lord’s suffering propitiated the Father and thus reconciled the sinful humanity to a holy God.
This interpretation is indicated by the contents of Ephesians 2:13 and 16.
The former asserts that Gentile Christians have been brought near to God and His covenant people Israel by means of the blood of Christ, which is a representative analogy that speaks of Christ suffering the wrath of God by suffering a spiritual and physical death on the cross.
The latter asserts that Jesus Christ reconciled both Jewish and Gentile Christians to God through His cross, which again speaks of Him suffering the wrath of God by suffering a spiritual and physical death on the cross.
Thirdly, Jesus Christ personifies the peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians in relation to God because He is “the medium” of this peace.
This is indicated by the fact that Ephesians 2:18 asserts that it is through Him that both Jew and Gentile Christians have access to the Father by the Spirit.
Lastly, Ephesians 2:17 asserts that Jesus Christ is “the proclaimer” of this peace to those who were near to God, the Jews and those who were far away from Him, the Gentiles.
This preaching of peace to both groups refers to the work of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ since He Himself preached to only the nation of Israel during His First Advent (cf. Matt. 10:5-6; 15:24-27).
He was not sent to the Gentiles during His First Advent.
However, He would send His apostles fifty days after His session at the right hand of the Father on the day of Pentecost in approximately June of 33 A.D.
On that day, Peter began proclaiming the gospel to the Jews as recorded in Acts chapter 2 whereas Acts 10 records him communicating the gospel to the Gentiles.
Both received the baptism of the Spirit, which united for the first time these two communities.
The Lord Jesus Christ peached this peace to both groups through the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit preached this peace through the apostles of Jesus Christ.
In other words, Jesus Christ preached this peace to both the Jewish and Gentile Christian communities through the Spirit working through the apostles.
Paul was sent to the Gentiles and the other apostles were sent to the Jews.
Furthermore, not only the apostles were employed by the Lord Jesus Christ to proclaim the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles by the power of the Holy Spirit, but also many evangelists and pastors and Christians operating in their royal ambassadorship have done this work throughout the centuries since the apostles.
Now, here in Ephesians 2:17, the referent of the dative second personal plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), “each and every one of you” is of course the recipients of this epistle who Paul describes here in Ephesians 2:11 as Gentile Christians.
The word not only refers to these Gentile Christians living in the various Christian communities throughout the Roman province of Asia as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
As was the case in Ephesians 2:13, the adverb of separation makran (μακράν) here in Ephesians 2:17 means “far away” and is used in a figurative sense of the relationship that did not exist between these Gentile Christians and God and His covenant people Israel.
As was the case in Ephesians 2:13, the adverb engys (ἐγγύς) here in Ephesians 2:17 means “near”and is also used in a figurative sense of the close, intimate relationship that now existed between God and His covenant people, Israel.
The repetition of the noun eirēnē (εἰρήνη) here in Ephesians 2:17 emphasizes that both Jewish and Gentile Christian communities were experiencing not only peace with each other but both were experiencing peace with God.
The verb erchomai (ἒρχομαι) speaks of Jesus Christ coming to both the Jewish and Gentile Christian communities in the sense of traveling to and arriving at the geographical locations of both of them through His Spirit led and empowered apostles.
The participle conjugation of the verb erchomai (ἒρχομαι) functions as a nominative of simple apposition, which means that it is identifying an activity of Jesus Christ which corresponds with Him reconciling both Gentile and Jewish Christian communities to each other and with God through His finished work on the cross.
The participle conjugation of this verb erchomai (ἒρχομαι) functions as a participle of result, which would indicate that the former identifies “the result of” Jesus Christ reconciling both Jewish and Gentile Christian communities to each other and both groups with God through His finished work on the cross.
Namely, He preached peace to both the Jewish and Gentile Christian communities through the Spirit empowered proclamation of the gospel by His apostles.
The verb euangelizō (εὐαγγελίζω) speaks of Jesus Christ proclaiming peace to both the Jewish and Gentile Christian communities through His apostles’ Spirit empowered proclamation of the gospel to both groups.
Of course, this peace refers to the reconciliation that exists between the Jewish and Gentile Christian communities and the reconciliation that these two groups now enjoy with a holy God as a result of the Father declaring them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, they were identified with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father through the baptism of the Spirit which took place at justification.
This justifying faith and union and identification with Jesus Christ united these two communities with each other and these two groups with God.
Paul is alluding to Isaiah 52:7 and 57:19 here in Ephesians 2:17 in order to emphasize the peace God the Father established between the Jewish and Gentile Christian communities and these two groups with Himself.
As we noted, Ephesians 2:14-16 teaches that the Father accomplished this two-fold reconciliation through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross.
The Father also accomplished this two-fold reconciliation through the work of the Holy Spirit at justification when at which time, the Spirit placed these two groups in union with His Son and identifying them with His Son in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand.