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.
Gentiles and Jews, the most bitter of enemies can be reconciled - through Jesus. The deepest hostility between people can be broken down by breaking down the deeper hostility between us and God. Looking at the cross and understanding what it means suddenly changes everything about offence and forgiveness in our other relationships.
How can the law-keeping, ceremonially clean, religious Jew be reconciled to the law-breaking, unclean, sinning Gentile? How can the church-going, clean-cut, moralistic "good" person be reconciled to the church-hating, scruffy, "godless" person? Only through Jesus. It's in his flesh (v14), in himself (v15), through the cross (v16). It's now one body, one man in place of two. The old categories have been broken down. The distinctions of Jew, Gentile, Christian, Muslim, good, bad, rich, poor, generous, tight, intelligent, stupid are no longer relevant. Language, colour, culture and class don't matter. There are only two categories. With Jesus or without him. In Christ or far off. In Him, we can be reconciled to God and each other. Away from him, the divisions remain because the biggest division between us and God remains.
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