Break Down the Walls of Division

2023 Annual Member's Meeting 

Council For World Mission (CWM) 

Changhua Taiwan, June 10, 2023 

 Huang Po Ho 

 Director of Academy for Contextual Theologies in Taiwan

For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility (Eph. 2.14) 

Introduction 

Rev. Dr. Jooseop Keum, General Secretary of Council for World Mission, Distinguished delegations of CWM member Churches, guests and my dear Taiwanese colleagues: It is a great honor to be invited for this opportunity to talk to this annual member's meeting of CWM in my beloved home country of Taiwan. Many thanks to CWM family and general secretary Dr. Jooseop Keum for the invitation.The theme of this annual meeting is "Break Down the Walls of Division" which is taken from the Biblical passage in Paul's letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 2.14), where Paul had tried to convince the Ephesians that they were brought into the Christian community as equals and one with the Jews. And pointed out that this new status of the Gentiles was the fruit of the work of reconciliation through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. 

This theme of "Break Down the Walls of Division" not only brings us back to the central message of the Christian faith, which the theologies of modern ecumenical movement derived from, it also timely reflects our critical contexts in the geopolitical tensions and the threats from the rivalry between two empires, that have forced the world to face a potential world war. The theme also reflects the nature of CWM as a missionary body and its commitment to "Oikomene". The very title of "Council for World Mission" shows the pioneering ecumenism of this group. It was changed from its original name "London Missionary Society (LMS)", a sending organization to evangelize the world, into a common fellowship of all missionary partners. Over the years, CWM has implemented many inspiring programs to combat empires and economic globalization, and to decolonize different sociopolitical hegemonic forces and irrelevant Christian mission. The theme thus is duly and urgent. 

 

The Wall to the Gentiles 

A key phrase in this passage which draws our attention is "Break down the dividing wall", this dividing wall has been further described as a "wall of hostility". A dividing wall is created by hostility. We have to be reminded here that the audients of this passage were the Ephesians Gentiles, who were the recipients of the letter and were treated hostile by the Jews. In the former verses, Paul had counting the inferior status of the Gentiles, he said: 

And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air... Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called“uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands) remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. (2.1-2a,11-12) 

According to Paul's perception, gentile Ephesians status were inferior and contrast to that of the Jews:

 1) The Gentiles were called the uncircumcised by those who had claim to that of circumcision.         Here was the first of the great divisions. 

 2) The Gentiles had no hope of a Messiah; 

 3) The Gentiles were aliens from the society of Israel, and was not the holy people (ho hagios'         laos). 

4) The Gentiles were strangers from the covenants on which the promises were based. 

5) The Gentiles were without hope and without God in the world. 

It is to these downtrodden people of gentile Ephesians that Paul address on this topic of Break Down the Walls of Division. The gentile Ephesians were the one to be segregated by the wall of division, which was built by the self justified superior Jews. Ephesians did not have the ability and power to destroy barrier, yet they were granted the opportunity to cross over the wall to join the Messiah community. Paul was here to remind them the fact that their identity of being a Christian, was not attained through their human efforts or achievement by paying their own prices, nor by the grace from the oppressive Jewish party, But "have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

In another word, the message that Paul constructed in these sentences, are not a command nor an instruction for the Ephesians to take actions to break down the wall, instead, he points out that it is the intention of God, and reminded those who have being segregated outside the walls, that this has been realized through the graceful events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The wall here that Paul pointed to was a symbolic expression of the curtain of the holy Temple, which was created by the Jewish community to segregate and preventing the Gentiles to approach closer to the holy sanctuary of the Temple. This curtain according to Paul was the dividing wall of hostility. he said: 

by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and 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 bringing the hostility to an end. 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 sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Accordingly, for Paul to Break down the wall was not the final purpose, instead the genuine purpose was to overcome discrimination and make peace between the Gentiles and the Jews, and to reconcile both of them to God. 

Walls Are Product of Human Spirituality 

Mission： Church in Formation 〔認同：在地宣教〕

本土神學文集第六冊命名為「認同：在地宣教」，英文則以Mission: Church in Formation來標示。試圖把宣教、認同、與教會三者連結起來。宣教是教會形成的激素與定型，甚麼樣的宣教產出甚麼樣的教會。教會因此不只是宣教的果子，也是持續宣教的動力。而宣教missio Dei是一種受差的行動，因此是道成肉身的實踐，真實的宣教必定是像耶穌道成肉身一樣的「認同的宣教」，也就是在地宣教。通過愛與認同，從事的在地宣教，毫無疑問地會建立起釘根本地的教會。本書透過反省筆者任職長老教會總會研發中心期間，主持台灣基督長老教會「21世紀新台灣宣教運動」研發的過程與內涵，以及期間面對全球化議題所做的基督教宣教的論述，配合早年出版之「本土神學與本土宣教」一書，以及年輕時在美國紐約協和神學院跟隨黑人神學家James Cone做研究時翻譯他的一篇短文「教會是甚麼」一起組成，時間前後跨越數十年，範圍涵蓋多層面向，希望從本土神學的角度，將神學理論與實踐結合，來呈現宣教的本質，也印證在地宣教的走向並期許教會能夠持續的本土化，來成為人民的盼望。