Following World War II, the Allies divided Germany into four sections, with the Soviet Union controlling the Eastern portion. When Germany began its reconstruction of its government, the Soviets had a different vision for the area—communism. Therefore, Germany was divided into two sections: The Federal Republic of Germany in the West, and the German Democratic Republic in the East. East Germans were eventually banned from entering West Germany. By 1961, 3.5 million people had fled East Germany, seeking freedom in the West. Therefore, the communist ran government closed the border and erected the Berlin Wall. At first, the wall consisted of chain-link fences and barbed wire, but eventually became a wall of concrete, surrounded by spike strips, sometimes guard dogs, some landmines, and military guards ordered to shoot anyone trying to escape into West Germany. On June 12, 1987, Ronald Reagan gave a speech to the people of West Berlin about the oppression that this wall represented, famously stating, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” By 1989, the citizens of the country demolished the wall, soon ending the Cold War, and allowing freedom to reign.
The apostle Paul mentions another wall in Ephesians 2:14, which stood between the Jews and Gentiles. This wall is called, “the middle wall of separation.” Prior to the writing of the book of Ephesians, God had chosen the Hebrews as His own special people, to bring the Messiah into the world and to be a shining light to all nations, with circumcision as a sign of this covenant (Deuteronomy 7:6; Leviticus 12:3). This meant that God provided a covenant of law, containing a sacrificial system, and a means of worshiping Him acceptably. From time to time, Gentiles were converted to Judaism, becoming “proselytes” into the family (1 Kings 8:41-43; Isaiah 56:3). However, non-Jews were restricted to the “the Court of the Gentiles” portion of the temple. This is why the Jews raised such a stink in Acts 21:27-29 regarding the Gentile Trophimus, about whom they accused Paul of bringing (Greeks) into the temple “and has defiled this holy place” (Acts 21:28). Recent archaeological discoveries reveal that a small wall was erected to warn non-Jews of traversing this area (see Josephus, Antiquities, 15.417). Perhaps Paul had this physical wall in mind, but even more so, the apostle demonstrates the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ–UNITY and salvation for all peoples, races and nationalities, Jews and Gentiles, circumcised and uncircumcised, through the grace and mercy of God, by the sacrifice of Christ! “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation…”
Some walls exist that cannot be seen. Some walls separate a particular social class or race of people from another, other walls separate the popular from the unpopular, or the rich from the poor. The GOSPEL of Jesus Christ breaks down ALL walls, leveling the plane for all groups of people from every walk of life. As one song suggests, “the ground is level at the foot of the cross.” In Christ, we are all equals; there is no room for racism or cliques of people shunning others. No matter where you live, your nationality, the color of your skin, male or female, slave or free, God has broken down the wall which once separated us from freedom, peace, and unity. To borrow a phrase from Paul, “if we build again” those things which the gospel of Jesus Christ has torn down, we cannot be free from our sins, we cannot be justified, and we cannot be ONE in Christ! So, if there is a barrier between me and Christ, between me and the family of God which is the church, then “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”