Killing hostility? How does Jesus kill hostility? Divisions and ultimatums are everywhere. They threaten to destroy us in such small ways. How about this one: “Use MY mother’s pumpkin pie recipe, or I’m not coming to that Thanksgiving meal.”
We have preferences where we “draw the line” as to the good or bad. Simple things can keep us together—and force us apart. Try ordering pizza with friends or making breakfast for visiting relatives. The pride of culture, the way our family does it, the way we’ve always done it...
Going a bit further, examine the rabbit trail of these statements:
“If that guitar music is playing, I’m not coming to worship.”
“That organ is so stuffy, I just can’t stand sitting through it.”
The moment we set ourselves to be the judge over what is good and what is bad, what should endure and what must be eliminated, we find ourselves back on the outskirts of Eden, separated from God, having chosen to set ourselves in His place.
You and I cannot be God. We cannot restore the kingdom. But Jesus can and does. Paul continues with the rest of the story:
“And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:17-22)
The whole structure of the household of God is joined together by the cornerstone that is Christ. This revelation is the good news for us. No matter the separations we provoke and cling to, Jesus’s act on the cross will kill the hostility that divides us and will bring us peace.