There Is A Great Wall

Did you know? In Biblical times, any city that had a great wall around it was considered to be a great city. The city of Babylon became known worldwide as a great city. Ancient writing suggests that the walls were 56 miles long, 80 feet thick, and 320 feet high.

The Great Wall of China may be one of the most iconic man-made structures in the world and is a must-see for most travelers. Construction began over four hundred years before Christ and was completed in the 1600s. It’s built over some of the toughest terrain imaginable. You could stretch it from Atlanta to London and still have some wall left over. Think of the time, resources, and sweat it took to build the Great Wall all in an effort to stay separated from their enemies.

As big as the Great Wall is, it’s minuscule compared to the wall that separates man from God. Sin causes this wall and no one can overcome this barrier on their own. Fortunately, we don’t have to be a modern day Joshua wondering initially how we are going to tear down the walls of Jericho. God removed the barrier through Jesus.

“But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) God sees our stumbling and tripping. We can’t walk the road ourselves; we can’t remove the obstacles, walls, and barriers, so God does it for us.

God the Father sends Jesus the Son to be pierced, crushed, punished and wounded so that you can be healed. Jesus has been God from all eternity, yet He comes to earth and gets His hands dirty knocking down walls and barriers.  Jesus was constantly surprising and even shocking people as He broke cultural barriers all around Him.

By dying on the cross Jesus becomes the Way to enter God’s presence.  Isaiah 57:15 tells us, “The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.”

If you have a healthy relationship with God, then you will want to eliminate any walls between you and God. If we are truly willing to follow Jesus, then we too should be tearing down any barrier which separates us from one another and building bridges so that all can sit at the feet of Jesus.

Discussion questions:

1. How often do you think about the walls (barriers) that stand between you and God?
2. What can you do this week to start tearing down the walls?