“The Mystery of Christ” on Ephesians 3:1-13 by Joe Ellis — October 25, 2024

Did you notice how chapter three of Ephesians begins? Paul is writing along saying in v 1, “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—“ 

Then he stops himself abruptly, mid argument, wondering, “Do they get it?  These Gentiles, who my people, the Jews, call dogs — do they get that I’m in prison for them?  Do they understand why?”

Gentile is a word that the Jews used to describe anybody who is not a Jew.  So most of us here are Gentiles.  The Jewish people understood that they were God’s chosen people. Yet, they were chosen to be a light to the nations, an example of what a good life looks like in submission to the rule of the One True God. And many were faithful in this calling — in any pursuits of Holiness — of being set apart toward God, can come at the expense of excluding the outsider. So the people of Israel became less a light to the nations, rather they were perceived as gadflies (persistently annoying people). Jews and Gentiles did not get along. They would not eat at the same table. The purity laws, like eating kosher foods become not so much a light as much as a wall blocking out the light. An exclusive set of religious rites and practices that separated the one for the other.   Yet Paul, a Jew is not only fine to eat with the Gentiles, he is in prison on their behalf. Paul wants to make clear why he would be in prison for us Gentiles.

So then, in verse 2, Paul wants to make sure that the Gentiles actually understand that Paul is a prisoner for them! 

“Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, the mystery was not made known to men in other generations as The Mystery has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.” 

To explain why he is in prison on their behalf, Paul begins talking about something he calls “the Mystery.” Now, the word ‘mystery’ in this context is a cultic word. In the city of Ephesus there were a number of ‘mystery religions’ — religions that had rites and teachings known only to an exclusive set of insiders of their religion. Paul is telling the Ephesians that he, along with the rest of the Apostles, has been entrusted by God with their own Mystery — and this Mystery is in fact why he is in chains. Paul underscores that this Mystery is a true Mystery (in the religious sense of the Word) — it has been revealed by the Spirit alone. This Mystery is at the heart of Christ. The Mystery was kept hidden throughout the history of the world. King David didn’t know it, nor Isaiah, nor Malachi. Only now has The Mystery been revealed to the New Testament Apostles and Prophets. But then Paul does something uncharacteristic of a mystery religion — he shares about this Mystery freely wherever he goes. In fact, he tells them to read this Mystery publicly! Furthermore, Paul says he has been charged to by a servant of this Mystery, to make this Mystery known far and wide! Unlike the other mystery religions, the Mystery which Paul speaks of is not about a set rites and beliefs exclusively for some higher ups in the religion. This Mystery is quite different — this Mystery is about welcoming those far and wide into the family of God.

Paul says in verse 6:

 “The mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

Notice what a different type of mystery this is! It is unlike other mystery religions whose mysteries comprised an exclusive set of rites and knowledge that got more and more exclusive the deeper you got into the religions . Not so in Christ. Rather, here The Mystery is the generosity of God! That God is opening up His family in welcome — so that those near and far away, those inside and outside, the righteous and the sinners, the Jew as well as the Gentile are welcomed into full inclusion into Israel. They are given citizenship in Christ. The Mystery is the generosity of God in being so welcoming!  

This bringing together of the Jews and Gentiles into one family is no small matter. You remember last week we noted that the Jews had a sign in their temple warning the Gentiles to go no deeper into the Temple unless they wanted to be killed? Not unlike the other mystery religions with their exclusive rites and practices. Yet upon Jesus’ death, the curtain in the Temple that separated the most holy place from everyone and everything else — that curtain that prevented all but a select few from venturing into the most sanctified place — that curtain in the Holy of Holies was torn completely in half. And what happened then was that those who were on the farthest margins of the Temple were welcomed inside. So much so that in 1 Corinthians 3 and 6, Paul refers to both individual believers, as well as the mixed church (a church of Jews and Gentiles) as the Temple of God. The curtain was torn in the Holy of Holies, and now God has made his home amongst His motley crew of people. Christianity is a Mystery Religion moving in the opposite direction — welcoming those furthest away into the most sanctified place. Through the blood of Jesus, Gentiles are now heirs together with Israel!  Jews and Gentiles are brothers and sisters.  All share one body, Christ.  We all receive the promises; one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. 

So, in Ephesians 3:6, Our Father is sending us an invitation to receive citizenship of his holy nation that was promised to Abraham.  Receive the promised eternal life.  Receive the promised empowering Holy Spirit — who brings us into the most sanctified place of the faith.    

It’s to this Mystery that Paul has dedicated his life. In Ephesians 3:7 Paul says, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.”

Notice how in this Mystery Religion — the order of things is reversed. The first are the last. The last are the first. Those with the least honour are given the highest honour.

Earlier in his career Paul would have said, the first are first. His pedigree was an important thing: he was a zealous Jew, a Pharisee of Pharisees, trained under the Rabbi Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin.  Paul showed his dedication by actually killing Christians who were doing precisely what he was doing now — welcoming in unwelcome outsiders by the blood of a Crucified Messiah.  So when Paul says “I am the least of all the saints” he really believes it — he was formerly an enemy of the Mystery by killing Saints.  He was in fact going on a warpath to jail Christians when the Lord struck him blind on the road to Damascus.

Paul was given a great gift when God struck him blind.  Paul began to realize the true depth of this Mystery. Remember what happened the day that God struck him blind — Paul heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Saul was his Jewish name.) Paul knows he is encountering his God, so he says, “Who are you Lord?”  Jesus answers, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Now remember, Paul did not literally persecute Jesus — Paul persecuted followers of Jesus. Yet, what Jesus reveals to Paul in that first encounter is that Jesus — Messiah, King, Saviour and Lord — so identifies with His people that to persecute them is to persecute Him. That was the first moment when Paul realized the depths of the welcoming heart of God. 

So, from that day forth, Paul was a servant of this Gospel. Now listen to what Paul says is Ephesians 3:10-11

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, and according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

For me, this is the most significant part of the passage. Paul paints a picture of God calling a meeting.  He calls together the cosmic rulers and authorities, the angelic hosts and the powers of darkness — their mission is disintegration of the Work of God. God’s work is integration. God calls them together and says, “Do you want to see my most magnificent work of integration, my work of bringing together all things under one head?”

Do you know how God displays his wisdom to the cosmic rulers and authorities, angelic hosts and the powers of darkness? God displays his wisdom by pointing at us — his church. As evidence of his wisdom, His powerful work toward integrating everything in heaven and on Earth, God points to us, His church, saying: “See how they love one another! See their unity! See how they get along despite such vast differences!” God displays his wisdom — the wisdom of His plan to tear down the walls that divide us and by the blood of Jesus Christ to make us motley crew of people into one New Humanity. God points at us, his churches, to say, “See my wisdom! See how these people get along through the power of the Spirit! See how they love one another!”

This is why it is so important that Christians learn to work out their differences together — God is staking his reputation on us! The Mystery of Christ is not that he has called a select few, who think and act in the same way to be a part of his exclusive mystery religion. The Mystery of Christ is that He has called those near and those far to come together and form one New Humanity in Christ. That we will integrate our lives together across social, political, racial, gender and all the rest — united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and empowered by the Spirit. God stakes His reputation on us — His Church. For me, this is the truly great awe-inspiring, humbling, terrifying Mystery. God is staking His reputation on our capacity to reconcile ourselves to one another. 

So, look at how Paul lives into this vision in v. 12 & 13: “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence… I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.”

Paul lives into this Mystery of reconciliation by suffering in prison for the Unwelcome Stranger. If Paul had compromised his message about the worth of Gentiles, their being washed clean before by the Blood of Christ, their being given full citizenship in the nation of Israel — if he had compromised on this message, he probably would have been set free.  Paul instead proclaims loudly the worth, value and dignity of Gentiles through his willingness to be jailed on their behalf.  He stands with them in unity and solidarity. A Jew being jailed on behalf of a Gentile would have been an example for God to point to as He demonstrates to those powers and principalities the goodness of His plan to reconcile all in the blood of Christ. “See how they love one another!” 

Where would God point today? Where do we see Christians seeking unity at great cost to themselves? Where do we see followers of Jesus painfully standing in solidarity with the Unwelcome Other as a proclamation of the Mystery of Christ. In a culture of polarization, where Christians are splitting off, forming groups that comfortably reflect their own preferred mysteries, rites and beliefs — the Gospel is threatened. The capacity for Christians to get along is a Gospel issue — it’s imperative that we learn to live together in Christ — God is staking His reputation on us.