On August 20, 2022, Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, died. Thirty-five years earlier, President Ronald Reagan had stood before the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and demanded: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Two years later, the Berlin Wall, which had separated East and West Berlin since 1961, fell.
From the walls of Jericho in Bible times to the Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall, Korea’s DMZ, and Israel’s West Bank Barrier, to the recently proposed border wall between the US and Mexico, walls have created unfortunate racial, religious, political, and social barriers. But even more tragic are the walls erected in the heart.
The enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles was uppermost in Jesus’ mind when He told His disciples He had to go through Samaria. His earthly mission was to bridge the gap between God and unbelievers and break down the dividing walls of hostility between people.
Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman occurred at Jacob’s well, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob pronounced a special blessing on Joseph at his death, telling him he would be a fruitful vine climbing over a wall.
In His conversation with the woman, Jesus, the true vine, transcended religious, ethnic, gender, and cultural barriers and tore down long-standing walls of hatred that divided the Jews and Samaritans. The fruit was abundant. Many Samaritans in the city believed in Jesus after hearing the woman’s testimony.
As Christ’s disciples, we must guard our hearts to value others, regardless of our differences. Reagan’s demand to “tear down this wall” is an appropriate warning for Christians in a divisive world.
What steps should you take to tear down walls you’ve erected?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Doris T. Stephens has taught in public and private schools and universities. She has also worked in administrative positions in distance education and was the project director for a PBS series to teach Spanish to children. She is actively engaged in local and international Christian ministries and serves on the board of directors for the imago Dei ministry to the French-speaking world.