You asked

where do we see attempts to rebuild 'walls of hostility' in our communities or world?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Ephesians 2:14

“For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace,”

Paul, writing from prison to the diverse Christian communities in Ephesus (a major city in Asia Minor), explains how Jesus' work has brought together people previously separated by deep religious and social divisions, specifically Jews and Gentiles, into one new community.

What divisions in our current world feel most like a 'wall of hostility' that needs breaking down?

Then — the setting

This letter, likely written in the mid-1st century CE from Roman imprisonment, was addressed to a diverse audience, including both Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity in Ephesus. Historically, the 'middle wall of partition' (τοῦ μεσοτοίχου τοῦ φραγμοῦ) is often understood to refer to the physical barrier in the Jerusalem Temple that separated the Court of the Gentiles from areas where only Jews were permitted, symbolizing the broader socio-religious divide between Jews and non-Jews. Paul's audience would have been deeply aware of the historical and cultural hostility between these groups, rooted in differing interpretations of God's covenant and law.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament often emphasizes Israel's distinctness and separation (holiness) from other nations, particularly through the Mosaic Law (e.g., dietary laws, circumcision) which created boundaries. While these boundaries served to preserve Israel's unique identity as God's chosen people, they also fostered a sense of separation and sometimes hostility towards 'outsiders.' In the New Testament, especially in Paul's writings, this passage in Ephesians argues that Jesus, through his death, has fulfilled and superseded aspects of the Law that created this 'middle wall,' thereby bringing both 'near' (Jews) and 'far' (Gentiles) into one new covenant community. The New Testament reframes the idea of God's people to include all who believe, transcending ethnic distinctions without erasing the historical significance of Israel.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Galatians 3:28
Paul reiterates the idea that in Christ, traditional social and ethnic distinctions are overcome.
Isaiah 57:19
Prophetic words about God creating peace for those far and near, a theme echoed in Ephesians.
Colossians 3:11
Another of Paul's letters emphasizing that new identity in Christ transcends ethnic and social labels.

Ask your own follow-up