Ephesians 2:14-17
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Jesus is not just the maker of peace, but the very embodiment of it, dissolving the barriers that separated people. What's easily missed is that this isn't just about Jews and Gentiles; the "middle wall" represents the hostility itself, which Christ tore down "in his flesh"—meaning through his physical life and death.
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is explaining how Christ has bridged the vast chasm that once separated Jews and Gentiles. He’s just described how Gentiles, once far from God, have been brought near through Christ's sacrifice. Now, he emphasizes that Christ is the very source of peace, uniting these two formerly divided groups into one new community.
We often think of Jesus as the one who makes peace between us and God, or between people. But this verse says something even more profound. What if Jesus is the very essence of that peace?
The verse declares, 'For he himself is our peace.' This isn't just saying Jesus is a peace broker. He embodies peace itself.
The Person of Peace
Think about it: God's perfect peace isn't just an outcome; it's rooted in His very being. When Jesus, who is God in human form, enters the picture, He brings that divine peace with Him. He doesn't just facilitate peace; He is the peace that bridges the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity. This peace is so foundational that it’s described as the ultimate contrast to hostility.
A Complete Reconciliation
Because Christ is our peace, the reconciliation He offers is total. It's not a fragile truce but a deep, abiding connection. This peace impacts our relationship with God and, as we'll see, our relationships with each other.
Imagine a wall so high and thick it completely separates people. The Bible talks about a 'middle wall' that Jesus tore down. What was this wall, and why was it so significant?
The 'middle wall of partition' (or 'fence') mentioned here is a powerful metaphor for the Law of Moses. While the Law was good and holy, given by God, it created a stark division between Jews and Gentiles.
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Dividing the Nations
Christ's Radical Solution
Jesus, through His sacrificial death ('in his flesh'), didn't just negotiate peace; He fundamentally dismantled the system that created this division. He fulfilled the Law and rendered its ceremonial distinctions obsolete in establishing a new community. The dividing wall wasn't just chipped away at; it was broken down.
When the dividing wall came down, it wasn't just about removing barriers. Something entirely new was created. What does it mean to be 'one new man'?
The ultimate purpose of Jesus tearing down the wall of hostility was to create something unprecedented: a unified people.
Beyond Mere Tolerance
This isn't just about Jews and Gentiles learning to tolerate each other. It's about a radical, transformative creation. They are made 'one'—not just side-by-side, but incorporated into a single, new entity.
The 'New Man'
This new creation is the foundation for the Church, a community where every tongue, tribe, and nation finds its place united in Christ.
Understand the original words
eirēnē · Greek Noun
The concept of reconciliation, harmony, and wholeness, fundamentally established by God through the work of Christ, restoring the broken relationship between God and humanity and between fellow believers.
echthra · Greek Noun
The state of being fundamentally opposed to God and to one another; it is the spiritual and social consequence of sin that Christ overcomes through his sacrifice.
nomos tōn entolōn en dogmasin · Greek Noun phrase
The body of Mosaic laws, including ceremonial requirements, which functioned as a barrier between Jews and Gentiles but was fulfilled and rendered obsolete by Christ’s completed work.
kainos anthrōpos · Greek Noun phrase
The transformation of the individual believer into a new creation through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, forming a unified community that transcends previous divisions.
apokatallassō · Greek Verb
To bring back into harmony, restore to favor, or mend a broken relationship, specifically between God and humanity or between estranged groups. It implies a change from a state of enmity to a state of peace through the intervention of a mediator.
stauros · Greek Noun
The instrument of Christ's death; a symbol of both the ultimate penalty for sin and the mechanism of divine atonement. It signifies the place where God's justice and love met, resulting in the justification of believers.
echthra · Greek Noun
Deep-seated enmity, opposition, or antagonism. In a biblical context, it refers to the state of broken relationship caused by sin, whether between God and humans or between different groups of people.
eirēnē · Greek Noun
A state of harmony, wholeness, or wellbeing, and the cessation of conflict. It is a gift of God rooted in the restoration of a right relationship with Him, which subsequently enables reconciliation among people.
The 'middle wall of partition' wasn't just a theological concept but a very real physical barrier in the Jerusalem Temple, forbidding Gentiles from approaching God's presence. Paul uses this stark image to show how Christ's sacrifice made way for universal access to God, uniting peoples who had been kept tragically apart.
c. 140 BC
The Maccabean Revolt
This revolt began as a Jewish uprising against the Seleucid Empire, leading to a period of Jewish independence. It reinforced Jewish identity and distinctiveness from surrounding Gentile cultures.
63 BC
Roman Conquest of Judea
Rome conquered Judea, ending the Hasmonean dynasty and establishing Roman authority. This set the stage for increased interaction and tension between Jewish and Roman (Gentile) worlds.
c. 40 BC - AD 30— this verse
Temple Enlargement and Gentile Exclusion
The Jerusalem Temple was expanded, with a wall (the 'middle wall of partition') constructed to separate the court of the Gentiles from the inner courts accessible only to Jews. Inscriptions warned Gentiles against entering further, under penalty of death.
c. AD 30-33
Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Jesus' death on the cross, a pivotal event in Christian theology, is seen as the act that ultimately 'broke down the dividing wall' between Jews and Gentiles.
c. AD 40s-60s
Early Church Growth and Conflict
The gospel spread rapidly among Gentiles, leading to debates within the early church about the inclusion of non-Jews and the necessity of adhering to Jewish law.
AD 62
St. Paul's Imprisonment in Rome
While imprisoned, Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, likely around this time, articulating the profound unity Christ brings between Jewish and Gentile believers.
AD 66-73
The First Jewish-Roman War
This devastating war resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, symbolically and literally leveling the physical barriers that had separated Jew and Gentile.
This verse from Isaiah speaks of peace being proclaimed to those far off and those near, directly paralleling Paul's message in Ephesians about Christ making peace between Jews (near) and Gentiles (far).
Galatians 3:28Paul states in Galatians that in Christ there is 'neither Jew nor Greek,' echoing the unity Ephesians 2:14 describes, where Christ makes 'both one' and breaks down dividing walls.
Colossians 3:11Similar to Ephesians, Colossians highlights the unity found in Christ, where distinctions like Jew and Gentile, barbarian and Scythian, are rendered irrelevant, pointing to the same theme of Christ as the source of unity.
John 10:16Jesus speaks of having 'other sheep that are not of this fold,' and that 'there will be one flock, with one shepherd.' This foreshadows the reconciliation and unification of different groups under Christ's shepherdly care, as described in Ephesians.
Micah 4:3This prophetic passage describes a future where nations will 'beat their swords into plowshares,' signifying an end to conflict and the establishment of peace, which is the very essence of what Christ achieves by breaking down the walls of hostility.
cambridgeEphesians 2:14: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;"
14 . he is our peace ] “ He: ”—the glorious living Person gives its essence to the sacrificial Work. “ Our peace: ”—i.e., as the connexion indicates, the “peace” between the Tribes of the New Israel, the Gentile and Jewish believers; such peace that now, within the covenant, “there is neither Jew nor Greek” ( Galatians 3:28 ; Colossians 3:11 ). The special aspect of this…
vincentEphesians 2:14: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;"
Our peace (ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν)Christ is similarly described in abstract terms in 1 Corinthians 1:30; wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption. So Colossians 1:27, hope of glory. Christ is thus not merely our peace-maker, but our very peace itself.Both (τὰ ἀμφότερα)Lit., the both. The neuter gender shows that Jews and Gentiles are conceived by the writer merely…
Jesus is not just the maker of peace, but the very embodiment of it, dissolving the barriers that separated people. What's easily missed is that this isn't just about Jews and Gentiles; the "middle wall" represents the hostility itself, which Christ tore down "in his flesh"—meaning through his physical life and death.
Paul is explaining how Christ has bridged the vast chasm that once separated Jews and Gentiles. He’s just described how Gentiles, once far from God, have been brought near through Christ's sacrifice. Now, he emphasizes that Christ is the very source of peace, uniting these two formerly divided groups into one new community.
Paul is explaining how Christ has bridged the vast chasm that once separated Jews and Gentiles. He’s just described how Gentiles, once far from God, have been brought near through Christ's sacrifice. Now, he emphasizes that Christ is the very source of peace, uniting these two formerly divided groups into one new community.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of th…" — Jesus is not just the maker of peace, but the very embodiment of it, dissolving the barriers that separated people. What's easily missed is that this isn't just about Jews and Gentiles; the "middle…
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Last reviewed October 2026
