“Before and after”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Saturday, May 28, 2022

Ephesians 2:11-22 (Forward, p. 30) CEV p. 1223

Various articles and advertisements purport to show the dramatic makeovers of certain individuals, sometimes due to something fairly superficial and fleeting, due only to a change of hair style or makeup, and sometimes due to something more lasting like a change of diet or health routine. However, in both cases, the before and after photos are sometimes quite dramatic and quite striking.

The apostle Paul doesn’t have the benefit of photos of before and after, so he uses word pictures, this time, not to illustrate a change in someone’s outer appearance, but rather changes in identity, status, and prospects. Here he is talking about those Gentiles in Ephesus who have now come to faith in Jesus Christ. The changes he speaks of are quite dramatic, and quite important, more dramatic and important than any cosmetic changeover could ever be, for they impact the inner person, now and forever:

a) In identity

-they did not know Christ, nor His love;

-they were alienated, separated, far from God;

-but now, through the blood of Jesus, they have been brought near to God.

b) In status

-they were foreigners and had no part in the promises of God;

-there was a wall of separation, a wall of hatred in fact, between them and God’s people;

-but now they have been made one, as if just one person

-they are now united in His body, the Church;

-they are now fellow citizens together.

c) In future prospects

-they were without hope and without a future;

-they now have access to God through the Holy Spirit and a glorious future and are being built into a place, a temple, where that Spirit can dwell.

Now, what will almost inevitably escape pretty well every one of us is that Paul is speaking to and about us. All of us—with few exceptions—were Gentiles and therefore outside of God’s covenant and promises. Apart from Christ Jesus, we were not heirs or recipients of any of them and were, in fact, strangers and aliens—mere outsiders looking in. And so, we should be conscious of—and grateful—for two things:

a) For the spiritual heritage passed down to us from our brothers and sisters in the Jewish faith. We would have none of this without them.

b) For the incredible grace of God in gifting all this to us. None of us have earned it or in any way deserved it. It is totally a gift.

And, to think that we are so loved, so valued, so worthwhile to God, that He would be willing to do this for us, for people like us who are not always that faithful—or that appreciative. It just makes me want to be more faithful, more respective of what He has done and more appreciative of each other. After all, we, each of us, has an incredible ‘before and after story’, all because of Jesus. Amen.

Forward notes: “Remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (verse 12).

“Paul uses the word ‘commonwealth’ to expand the chosen people from only Hebrew-speaking people. But in this passage, he also reminds us how the language of salvation can seem like gibberish or nonsense to nonbelievers.

“In a world with different languages, cultures, religions, and beliefs, how often do we simply talk past one another instead of engaging in authentic conversation? How do we help make known the hope and promise of God in this world? Fluency happens when one knows the salvation of Christ and understanding begins. Or is it the other way around?

MOVING FORWARD: “Drop in on a worship service in another language (either in-person or virtually). Reflect on the experience during your prayer time.”