Ephesians 3:1-6

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.  This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

 

When we think of mysteries, we usually think of some sort of crime that has not yet been solved or something that is mysterious, like from the twilight zone.  That is not how Paul uses the word in this passage.  The basic questions about this mystery are answered in this passage.

 

TO WHOM WAS THE MYSTERY REVEALED? The obvious answer to this question is Paul.  However, he makes a point of stating that he is in prison.  It seems contradictory to the way most people would consider to be normal to have the main proponent of a message be in prison.  We would think that this would not only limit the spread of the message but undermined its credibility as well.  God works in different ways.  Paul may have been under the control of Rome, but he recognizes that he is truly a prisoner of Christ.  He does not waste time questioning the methods of God but views this as his stewardship and makes use of his time writing this and many other letters.  God revealed this message to Paul, and he was not working to spread it to others.

 

WHY IS IT CALLED A MYSTERY? It is called a mystery simply because it had not been revealed beforehand. Generations from the past did not know or understand this ministry.  God in He grace and wisdom has decided to reveal this ministry to the apostles and prophets through the work of the Holy Spirit.  The mystery is not something that is mystical or mysterious.  It is simply something that was unexpected by the majority of people; especially those who were in positions of authority.  God is faithful to His mission and will regularly do the unexpected to accomplish His will.

 

WHAT WAS THE MYSTERY? The mystery is simply that Jews and Gentiles have been united into one body known as the church.  The fact that Gentiles are made heirs to the promises that were made to the nation of Israel is unexpected to the ruling elite of the nation of Israel especially, but also to the Gentiles themselves.  To have the promises made to Israel be extended to include Gentiles was a blessing beyond expectations.  This does not mean that Israel has been excluded from the promises it is simply knowing that Gentiles have been included.  The only way this is possible is through the Gospel. 

 

APPLICATION: Trust God to use difficult circumstances for the furtherance of His kingdom.  Our job is to be faithful in all circumstances, not question them.  Expect God to do the unexpected.  Rejoice at His amazing grace to extend His promises and riches to all people everywhere.

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