Jesus Builds Bridges & Tears Down Walls. How About Us?

Last updated on: March 9, 2017 at 5:15 pm by Paul Louis Metzger

Jesus Builds Bridges & Tears Down Walls. How About Us? 2017-03-09T17:15:07-08:00 Paul Louis Metzger

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Jesus built bridges, not walls. Although people stumbled over Jesus and were divided in their opinions over him, the debate often centered on his bridge-building practice and claim to be God’s reconciling agent in the world.

At Jesus’ death, the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). He tore down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14). There is no longer a division between Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave or free. They are now one through Jesus’ atoning work: “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” (Galatians 3:28; ESV). Jesus not only tears down the wall of hostility; he also tears down the wall of celebrity: Jesus’ cross is death to factions based on name recognition or fleshly wisdom and power; our boast is in no one other than the humble, loving Lord (See 1st Corinthians 1).

The tearing of the veil in the Temple signified that we now have direct access to God in the Holy of Holies through Jesus’ sacrifice as the innocent lamb of sacrifice. The tearing down of the wall of hostility—the wall between the outer court and inner court in the Temple—signified that all people have direct access to God through Jesus, making us all one.

With the previous points in mind, the church is called to build bridges, not walls. We who are Christians need to make sure the dividing wall of hostility (as well as other walls of division) stay down. While Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in Jerusalem, the church is a city or nation without walls. As 1 Peter 2:9 indicates, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (ESV). Churches can construct buildings all they want, but ultimately the church is a people. Hell has walls with gates, which the church storms (Matthew 16:18). In fact, while Heaven has gates, they are always open (Revelation 21:25). The problem is that we lock the doors to our hearts so as to keep God from entering. We also do that with others.

Today is my birthday, and I am wondering how I might become more adept this year at building more relational bridges rather than walls. This is no easy task. As we get older, it is easier for us to experience relational hardening of the arteries.

How do we guard against relational hardening of the arteries? One way of safeguarding against this danger to our relational health is to realize that we are in need of God’s mercy and grace, just like the next person. It is all too easy to think that we don’t need God’s forgiveness—especially on our birthdays when people usually say all kinds of nice things to us. If we believe the press, we might be tempted to become Moralistic Therapeutic Deity devotees, where God becomes our deity on demand! However, when I look at Jesus when the day is done, I realize I am in just as much need as I was the day before. And once I realize my need, I tend not to condemn and marginalize others. Apart from God’s cleansing and forgiveness through Jesus on the cross, we are all walled off from God’s grace.

If he (Jesus) who knew no sin became sin so we could become God’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), why can’t I—why can’t we—consider the importance of taking to heart our own sinful condition before addressing others’ sinful state on our birthdays and beyond? As Jesus says, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3; ESV). If I take out the log or redwood forest in my own eye, I will be in a better position to attend to him (Matthew 5:5), and in a way that tears down prideful walls between us.

As I get older, I hope my heart gets softer toward others. I hope I retain as much of my short-term and long-term memory, too. I never want to forget that I am deeply indebted to God and others for their forgiveness. In that way, I will be better able to build relational bridges through Jesus rather than walls of my own making.

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