Daily Devotionals

Voice of the Lord

Devotional: 16th of Iyar

For he himself is our shalom [peace]—he has made us both one and has broken down the m'chitzah [dividing wall in the Temple] which divided us (Ephesians 2:14).

In Messiah Yeshua, God has established a unity of Jews and Gentiles that goes beyond human efforts or expectations. It is a supernatural unity brought about through the blood of Yeshua. Those of us who know Messiah are mishpachah (family). Despite the social and cultural differences, we have a bond that is stronger than flesh and blood.

In the movie The Frisco Kid, Gene Wilder plays a hapless rabbi who, upon coming to America, faces disaster upon disaster. He is robbed and beaten and ends up alone. Wandering through fields in the middle of Pennsylvania, he spies what he thinks are fellow Jews out plowing in the field. He discovers they are not Jews but Amish folk. Later, the rabbi strikes up a lasting bond of friendship with a rough-hewn cowboy played by Harrison Ford. Ford is about as Jewish as a ham sandwich, but he takes Wilder under his wing and helps him make his way across the country. It's a delightful story that illustrates this point: what looks like mishpachah isn't always mishpachah. What may not look much like mishpachah may, in fact, be the best mishpachah we could ever want.

As followers of Messiah, we are united with people from every tribe, tongue and nation. God has joined us together in a deep and profound unity that will never obliterate our distinctiveness, yet can make us truly one in him.

...commit myself to set aside any prejudice I may have towards my Jewish or Gentile brothers or sisters in Messiah.

DB