Ephesians – Part 4

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Revelation of God’s Mystery

In Ephesians 3:1-13, Sha’ul emphasizes the grace given to him to share the gospel with the Gentiles. You might struggle with feelings of inadequacy in sharing your faith. Take time this week to write down your testimony of how God has worked in your life. Then, please share it with a family member or close friend. This small act of vulnerability not only builds your confidence but also opens the door for deeper conversations about faith in your home.

Revelation of a Former Mystery

3 ¹ It is a consequence of this that I, Sha’ul, am a prisoner of the Messiah Yeshua on behalf of you Gentiles. ² I assume that you have heard of the work God in his grace has given me to do for your benefit, ³ and that it was by a revelation that this secret plan was made known to me. I have already written about it briefly,

The letter was written from prison. The secret plan (see Ephesians 1:9) consists of two elements: (1) the bringing of Gentiles into the people of God on an equal footing, previously known but not nearly so clearly (Ephesians 3:5 below), and (2) making known to spiritual beings in heaven, through the existence of the Messianic Community, the many-sided wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:9–10 below & Ephesians 1:20–23a). I have … written about it, about the first part of the mystery, briefly, at Ephesians 2:11-22; verse 6 below summarizes that passage.

⁴ and if you read what I have written, you will grasp how I understand this secret plan concerning the Messiah. ⁵ In past generations it was not made known to mankind, as the Spirit is now revealing it to his emissaries and prophets, ⁶ that in union with the Messiah and through the Good News the Gentiles were to be joint heirs, a joint body and joint sharers with the Jews in what God has promised.

In the past, there was less knowledge than now of the equality of Jews and Gentiles as God’s people, but there was some knowledge, since at Acts 15:13–18 Ya‛akov quotes the prophet Amos to make this very point. Joint heirs shows that believers in Yeshua are co-inheritors of God’s Kingdom. It also characterizes the new community of believers with Yeshua as head. That the Gentiles would have equal footing with God’s covenant people was a new aspect of God’s revelation.

Wisdom In the Kehilah

⁷ I became a servant of this Good News by God’s gracious gift, which he gave me through the operation of his power. ⁸ To me, the least important of all God’s holy people, was given this privilege of announcing to the Gentiles the Good News of the Messiah’s unfathomable riches, ⁹ and of letting everyone see how this secret plan is going to work out. This plan, kept hidden for ages by God, the Creator of everything,

The least important of all God’s holy people is a combination of a superlative and a comparative in one Greek term. The unusual term may have been a playful allusion to Sha’ul’s name, thus acknowledging that in himself he was insignificant; but in Yeshua, God had made him a new creature. This plan, kept hidden for ages by God, is how He intended to fulfill His purpose.

¹⁰ is for the rulers and authorities in heaven to learn, through the existence of the Messianic Community, how many-sided God’s wisdom is.

God intended that through the Kehilah, His wisdom should be made known. “Many-sided” means manifold or multicolored, like a beautiful jewel. The history of the Messianic Kehilah and the unfolding drama of redemption is watched with avid interest by the rulers and authorities in the heavens, an apparent reference to angels (see 1 Kefa 1:12).

¹¹ This accords with God’s age-old purpose, accomplished in the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord. ¹² In union with him, through his faithfulness, we have boldness and confidence when we approach God. ¹³ So I ask you not to be discouraged by the troubles I endure on your behalf—it is all for your glory. ^[1]

In our next post, we continue to examine Sha’ul’s Letter to the Ephesians.

Click here for the PDF version.

^[1] Ephesians 3:1–13.