Walls

Walls.

Everyone wants to feel secure and safe and in pursuing this goal, we humans have built many walls.

As always history is a great teacher. In ancient times, many cities were surrounded by walls. Their walls were thick, tall and strong, and set a division between the insiders and the outsiders.

Once, there was a wall built by human hands and destroyed by God’s intervention. The biblical wall of Jericho, in what is now a Palestinian city near the Jordan river. The chosen people of the Israelites led by Joshua made their first conquest of Canaan by following God’s orders. Without a fight, the Israelites just marched around the wall for six days and on the seventh day they marched blowing their trumpets and yelling, and as they were making noise, the wall wanting to dance too, started falling apart. The man proposes and God disposes.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of thing not seen”. Hebrews 11:1

In modern-day Turkey, an area that was part of ancient Greece, lay the ruins of a famous wall of love and war: the wall around the city of Troy. An influential story, a grand wall, a formidable lesson when human ingenuity fooled the wall with a horse.

“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward”. Hebrews 10:35

History also enlightens us with a wall of language and culture. A wall that took its name from its builder, an emperor who wanted to keep intact his empire from immigrants, smuggles, and barbarians. Those who spoke a different language, had a different culture and customs, were “the barbarians”. In few words, those different than the emperor and his culture represented danger and should be kept away. And that thought made Hadrian build a barrier based on difference of language and culture. Only time made this wall fall apart. The same “barbarians” dismantled it and built instead buildings and roads.

Who is who to tell whose people are worthless or that their culture is old fashion, barbarian or wrong? Do you want to know who the accuser is? It is someone very well-known by human kind, Satan. He is the accuser.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. Galatians 3:28

Another wall was built in Berlin, Germany. The suppression of human rights lasted thirty years killing those in search of freedom. Hero or traitor, depending where you stood. This wall is proof of the atrocities of tyranny and division.

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community”. Proverbs 6:16-19

“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self condemned”. Titus 3:9-11

History and the Bible teach us that walls do not work. They divide us, they make us weaker, and eventually time and people find a way to tear them down.

“But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls”. Luke 11:17

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel". Pope Francis