Connect Ezekiel 37:17 with New Testament teachings on unity in Christ. Ezekiel’s Vision: Two Sticks, One People • Ezekiel 37:17: “Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand.” • God literally directed the prophet to bind a stick inscribed “Judah” to another marked “Joseph/Ephraim,” picturing the reunion of a nation torn in two since Solomon’s day. • The action was physical, simple, unmistakable: one unified piece held firmly in the prophet’s grip—Israel restored under one King (vv. 22–24). Prophetic Thread: Unity Carried Into the New Covenant • The same God who promised national oneness also promised a greater, global oneness in His Messiah. • Ezekiel’s joined sticks foreshadow the Lord’s plan to gather every believer—Jew and Gentile alike—into one redeemed family. Jesus Announces “One Flock” • John 10:16: “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.” – “Other sheep”: Gentiles outside ethnic Israel. – “One shepherd”: the Son of David foretold in Ezekiel 37:24. – “One flock”: the living fulfillment of two sticks joined. Paul Explains the Mystery of Togetherness • Ephesians 2:14-16: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility… His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.” – “The two”: Jew and Gentile. – “One new man”: the church, a single spiritual body. • Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” • 1 Corinthians 12:12-13: “Just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks…” Jesus Prays for What Ezekiel Portrayed • John 17:20-21: “…that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You… so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” • The Lord ties mission to visible unity; the joined-stick witness now extends to every tribe and tongue. Living the Reality Today • Guard the unity Christ purchased. Dividing walls died at the cross; resurrect them, and we contradict the gospel. • Celebrate diversity within oneness. Different gifts, cultures, and callings make the single body strong (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). • Pursue reconciliation quickly. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). • Unite around the Shepherd and His Word. Shared allegiance to Scripture and to Christ anchors genuine togetherness. The two sticks in Ezekiel’s hand point straight to the one body in Christ’s nail-scarred hands—a unity prophesied, purchased, and now practiced among His people. |
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