Part 1

INTRODUCTION

This morning I want to share with you a 2,000 year old mystery, the mystery of the Jew and Gentile. Eph. 3:3-6. In the first century when Shaul wrote the Book of Ephesians, it was a deep and hidden mystery that was not made known in previous generations.

“…. in other generations was not made know to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Messiah Yeshua through the gospel.” Eph. 3:3-6

It has been in the heart of the Father from the beginning to take a people from among the nations from both the Jew and Gentiles and join them together in the Spirit as one new man so that God may have a dwelling place for His Spirit. Peter says it so beautifully in 1 Peter 2,6,9,10 “as living stones we are being built together as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua the Messiah.”

Peter is speaking here of the non Jewish Believer when he says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. For you once were not a people but now you are the people of God you had not received mercy, but not you have received mercy.”

This was a mystery hidden in ages past. The reality and wonder of this becomes apparent when Paul reminds the Gentile in Ephesians 2 and 3 what their true condition was outside of the Messiah. How God could take a holy Covenant people (the natural branches - the Jews and join them together with wild branches - the Gentiles into one community of faith. A people who were diverse in their background, worship, culture, identity, customs and laws. In Ephesians 2:12 Paul describes five conditions of the Gentile believer before they came into this new community of faith.

For the Church today who have been on the scene for almost 2,000 years this particular portion of scripture seems so irrelevant and yet it is still very much a mystery that can only be understood by revelation of the Spirit as Paul says in 3:3 By revelation there was made known to me this mystery of Messiah.

In order for the non-Jewish Believer to appreciate this mystery lets learn what they have come out of. Five conditions of the non-Jewish believer.

Remember that you were at that time separate from Messiah – Their relationship with the Messiah is mentioned first because it is through Him and Him alone that we enter into the Kingdom of God. Acts 4:12 There is salvation in no one else… I am the way, the truth… The gentile had no relationship to the Messiah or to God. They were into idol and pagan worship and followed after many gods. To them there were many paths to their god. The concept of the Messiah (anointed one) is Jewish. Yeshua said, salvation is of the Jews. The gentile was separate from the knowledge of the Messiah and the God of Israel…
You were estranged, excluded from the commonwealth or national life of Israel
The term here, National life or Commonwealth, in the English, carries with it the idea of a political relationship. Yet it is far from this: a more accurate meaning of this term is: you were excluded from citizenship, from this community of faith. You were not part of the family of God. You were outsiders, aliens and strangers as the non-Jewish believer was called in the Old Covenant.
To become part of this community of faith was more than just having the same rights and privileges as a citizen in a kingdom. It also implied an obligation to live and observe a godly way of life that has its origin in Gods relationship with the Jewish people. The Jewish people for the most part were a holy people who lived by Godly standards with holy commandments and statutes.
They were called to be a light to the nations, to be a people set apart from the nations. And now the Gentiles, the wild olive branches were being grafted into this holy kingdom of God’s people, a community that was very Jewish in expression and nature. This is beautifully seen in the story of Ruth who chose to joined herself to Israel. Notice what the word says, she said “your people shall be my people even before she said your God shall be my God. She was willing to not only come into relationship with the God of Israel but also the people of Israel.
Ruth spoke to Boaz and said, “Why have I found favour in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner”. Boaz said of Ruth, “It has been fully reported to me, how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. May the Lord reward your work and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
Ruth was willing to not only be in relationship with God but also her people
The Gentile believer is always to remember that the Jewish and Gentile believer are called into relationship not only with God but with each other. We are Mishpochah, a spiritual family in this new community of faith. As Paul said in vs. 19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens but fellow citizens with the saints and are of the household of God” We are joined together as friends and fellow citizens in the household of God. Sadly, this is not the picture that we see today. Many of the Gentile brethren in the Church today, look with jealousy and pride, towards their elder brother the Jew.
You were strangers to the covenants and promises. God is a covenant keeping God who chose to create a nation from among the nations and enter into a series of covenants with them. It was through these covenants that God had plan to redeem mankind.
Many have asked throughout history. Why did God choose the Jews? Why were they chosen by God and not another people? Many Jewish people have asked the same question. Why couldn't you have chosen someone else?
Shaul said in Romans 3:1 “What advantage is there in being a Jew? To them were entrusted the oracles of God”. The word of God! One of God’s great revelations to man.
In Romans 9: 4,5 Paul describes nine reasons why God chose Israel. “In whom belongs the adoption of sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, the promises, to whom are the fathers (the patriarchs of the faith) and from whom the Messiah according to the flesh has come."
The covenants that God established with Israel were part of this grand design to bring forth God’s purpose of redemption for the world. The Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic, the New Covenant were all covenants that God made with Israel. God entered into no such covenants with the Gentile other than the Noahaic covenant.
Finally, Paul said that the Gentile was without hope and...
without God in the world. What a destiny. To have no hope or relationship with God. A life with no meaning and purpose. To have a hopeless existence. “Yeshua said I came that you might have life and life abundantly. In His presence is fullness of joy… How happy is the people whose God is their Lord.” Vs. 13 But now praise God, you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.
Vs. 14 – for he himself is our peace, our shalom. Shalom means more than peace ( a greeting) He is our shalom. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives to I give unto you, let not your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful…

Not only did Yeshua make peace between the Jew and Gentile but He Himself is our peace. Philp. 4; Be anxious for nothing. It is Yeshua’s peace living in born again Jews and Gentiles that has made us both one. Our oneness is in the Messiah.

And now we come to the heart of my message today. Because of this union of Jew and Gentile, Shaul said that the middle wall of division, the barrier that had once divided these two people and the hostility that existed between them, has been removed through the cross. We both have been reconciled into one body through the cross.

Continued in Part 2

written and / or assembled by Cal Goldberg, Messianic Leader, Beth Shechinah