In today’s reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul writes: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the Blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). The English translation of this line, though accurate, does not carry the same connotation that the original Greek does. Jews referred to Gentiles as “those who are far away” or “far off.” They considered themselves to “near.” Of course, they are speaking of being “near” to or “far away” from God. The truth of the matter is this. Before Jesus’ redemptive death, we were all far away from God as a result of the sin of Adam.
Think back to the Book of Genesis and the story of the fall of Adam and Eve. When God comes for the usual evening stroll through the garden with Adam, their disobedience is discovered. Adam and Eve have covered themselves signaling to God that they have eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now consider their punishment. They are expelled from the Garden of Eden. Their punishment is that they will no longer have access to God, they are separated from God. As I said in yesterday’s blog entry, this is the very definition of death for the Israelite.
We all know the power of access. Access is one of the things that we covet. Who among us wouldn’t want to have access to a variety of powerful people? “If I could speak to the President, I’d set him straight on an issue or two.” “If I could get to the ear of the Mayor, I would let him have a piece of my mind.” The list goes on and on. Access is one of the most prized possessions of those who wield power. Campaign contributions are one way to “buy” access from politicians. We all look for ways to gain access to those who have power and influence.
St. Paul goes on to say this to both those who are near and those who are far off: 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 (Ephesians 2:17-18). In other words, through the death of Jesus, the punishment is removed. We have been released from the prison of sin and given direct access to God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We are no longer separated from God. We are, in the mind of the children of Israel, no longer dead. Because we now have the ability to walk with God again, we are alive. This applies to both Jew and Gentile, for Jesus has died for us all.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator