Stewardship of the Mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:1-6)
Introduction
When was the last time you read a good mystery novel? Or watched a mystery movie? The ones in which quick-witted sleuth detectives divine the answer to an intractable puzzle. And all along the way, there have been clues, scattered and seemingly unrelated. Through a variety of twists and turns, many of which were unexpected, it builds to an unbearable tension. Then there is the moment when we see the slight twinkle in the detective’s eye—he has solved the mystery. So he gathers together the cast for a big reveal. He proceeds to tell the story which accounts for even the smallest and seemingly most inconsequential details upon which the whole case ends up turning. And, after you have seen the solution to the mystery, you wonder why you didn’t see it yourself along the way! In fact, the best mystery stories are the ones in which the clues are the most mystifying and whose solutions are the most obvious.
We hold in our hands the greatest mystery novel ever written. All throughout the story—which is still being told—there are clues scattered about, pointing to a great solution which is kept secret and hidden until all the pieces are in place. Then, in a great moment of insight, God gathers his people together for the big reveal and tells a narrative which accounts for even the smallest and seemingly most inconsequential details upon which the whole story turned. And now that we have seen the solution to the mystery—even Christ himself—we wonder how you could ever have missed it in the first place. The clues were, in many cases, the most mystifying, and the solution the most obvious.
As we read through Ephesians, we should be experiencing the sense of relief that comes from knowing the solution to an intractable problem. All of the questions which the Old Testament posed, and all of the clues which suggested an answer in hints and shadows is being openly and plainly described in this book. As we approach Ephesians 3, we are on the cusp of the big reveal, or at least part of it. Namely, that Christ himself is the answer to all the problems of the Old Testament, and that Jew and Gentile together in one body constitute the beginning of the revelation of God’s wisdom in solving the cosmic problem of sin.
The idea of “mystery” is very important in this verse, and you need to understand something about it. It is used around 27 times in the NT, and 20 of those are in Paul, so this is a big thing for him. And of those 20 times, 6 of them of in Ephesians, and half of those are in these verses. So, of all the places that Paul talks about the “mystery,” this is the most important.
Now, the OT background of the mystery is very important. Often the Bible talks about the “secret” or the “secret counsel” of God. For example, Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.”
But perhaps of all the places in the OT where it discusses the “mystery” Daniel is the most prominent. Not to get to bogged down in the details, we’ll still take some time to look at Daniel’s concept of the mystery.
· 2:18-19 – “the mystery was revealed to Daniel” – the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is in view. Something which could not humanly be known apart from God’s miraculous intervention in revealing it.
· 2:27-30 – Describes God as the one who “reveals mysteries.” The very nature of the mystery is that God reveals it—if he doesn’t, its meaning lies outside our grasp. It also shows that the mystery is always revealed to the prophets—authorized spokesmen.
o Verified by Neb. In 2:47
And so this is the concept of a mystery in the Old Testament. It is a secret thing of God, not revealed until the proper time, unable to be known apart from God’s revelation, and always revealed through his office-bearers.
A very important thing to understand about Paul’s concept of “mystery” is that it doesn’t always refer to the same thing. Now, in the broadest sense of what the “mystery” is, Ephesians 3:4 says that the mystery is Christ himself. It is all of those things which are effected by the person and work of Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:2 says the same thing: Paul desires us to have “the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.” Again, in Colossians 4:3, it is the “mystery of Christ.” The revelation of God’s secret and hidden council all centers on and revolves around the Lord Jesus.
Yet, this does not mean that Jesus Christ is personally the only element of the mystery. There are many other aspects:
· Romans 11:25 – “I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
· 1 Corinthians 15:51 says that the “mystery” includes our resurrection from the dead and our receiving new bodies fit for heaven.
· Colossians 1:26 describes the church as the mystery of God, and just one verse later, it describes the mystery as “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
· 1 Thessalonians 2:7 describes the “mystery of lawlessness” which is already at work. That is, lawlessness is at work in the world now and how it develops into the future is related to the work of the restraining Holy Spirit, all of which is a mystery.
· 1 Timothy 3:16 describes the “mystery of godliness” which is tightly knit to the incarnation, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Gentile mission.
· Ephesians 5:32 says that the mystery refers to the marriage union as a picture of Christ and the church.
Now, in Ephesians, the mystery is very important. Paul uses the word 6 times. The first time is in 1:9 – God has made known to us “the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as an administration of the fullness of the times, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” The first element of the mystery that we must understand in Ephesians is that it all revolves around uniting the universe under Christ’s headship. And how, as we approach chapter 3, we begin to expand on that idea even more—that the initial realization of that mystery of God’s will, the beginning of the recreation of everything, unfolds in the church through the union of Jews and Gentiles in one body in Christ Jesus. In other words, of all the many beautiful facets of the mystery of Christ and of his gospel, he now focuses explicitly on aspect the incorporation of Jews and Gentiles together in one body.
Now, just a brief word of application: You are living right in the middle of the mystery of God! 1 Peter 1:10-12 says that the prophets would have given pretty much anything to understand what you now experience as a regular, daily enjoyment. And what an incredible privilege it is to be caught up in what God has spent thousands of years preparing, not revealing to numerous other generations, but has not been openly and publicly revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ. You are joined to that mystery, which means that you are also joined to the mystery of the church! And that should give us both a sense of great responsibility and a sense of great privilege. It should both humble us and motivate us.
It certainly humbled and motivated Paul. Look at how often he refers to himself throughout these verses. “I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ…God’s grace that was given to me…made known to me…I have written briefly…my insight into the mystery of Christ…I was made a minister…grace, which was given to me…to me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given.” It is very uncharacteristic of Paul to talk so much about himself. And constantly the tone is “To me! He gave it to me! I have received it! To me he gave grace!” Paul was constantly floored by the reality of what God had given him. And we need to follow his example.
Now, with this background in mind, let us approach our text in three parts:
I. The Steward of the Mystery (3:1-3)
In brief, the steward of the mystery was Paul. As Paul is accustomed to doing in Ephesians, he blurs together his expositions and his prayers. In fact, he did something similar back in 1:15, where he begins a prayer and then ends up in theology and praise, and then returns to it. You can see the same thing happening here. 3:1 begins “for this reason,” and then he digresses into an explanation of his own stewardship of the mystery, all to resume his prayer in 3:14, which also starts with “for this reason.” And that is a marvelous example for us in itself: our prayers are always to be infused with deep theology, and our theology should always be done in an attitude of prayer.
But he begins setting up his prayer: “For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles.” And the very mention of the fact that he is a prisoner reminds him of something—that he is a prisoner precisely because of this message that he is preaching, that the Gentiles are included in the body of Christ apart from the law, and that there is now no distinction between Jew and Gentile in the church.
Paul was a prisoner when he wrote Ephesians. We learn the story in Acts 21. When he returned to Jerusalem to bring the offering from the Gentile churches to the Jewish poor in Jerusalem, he visits James and the elders and relates to them “one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.” And James tells Paul that there are many Jewish believers who are zealous for the law in Jerusalem, and that they have heard “about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.” Paul’s teaching had been so clear and so pervasive that he had an inflated reputation for teaching people to abandon the law, and that would have been highly offensive to the Jews.
So, James suggests to Paul that, for the sake of the consciences of his Jewish brothers, that he purify himself in the temple with a number of other men who were already planning to do the same. It was a kind of “good faith” offering that would placate the conscience of Jewish Christians who still held to the customs of the law of Moses. And so he did.
But when he went to the temple, there were “Jews from Asia” (Acts 21:27; the region of Ephesus!) who had no doubt heard his teaching that the law consisting of commandments expressed in ordinances was abolished and that Jew and Gentile were now one in Christ Jesus. These Jews from Asia stirred up a riot, laid hands on Paul, and cried out “Men of Israel, help! This is the. Man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” And he continues, “For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.” As a result, Paul is arrested by the Roman soldiers for his own safety, and he then appeals to Caesar and is sent to Rome. Thus, chained to a Roman guard, Paul writes Ephesians.
He is a prisoner for the very gospel he preached. He is a prisoner for the mystery of the gospel. And so, in a certain sense he is a prisoner for the sake of the Ephesians, who were Gentiles. Which is why Paul opens as he does: “I, Paul, a prisoner on behalf of you Gentiles.” And it is again why, in verse 13, he will exhort them “So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.”
The very fact that he’s in prison, I believe, prompts him to want to justify why such a sacrifice is warranted. “I am a prisoner,” says Paul, “and I am a prisoner for a good purpose.” And the foundation of that purpose is the fact that he had been given a stewardship. Paul is very concerned that they understand this warrant. They were tempted to lose heart, and so he explains why they shouldn’t: “I undergo these things willingly and joyfully because they express magnificent and glorious realities, and so you should rejoice that I am in prison, for I am here for your sake and for the gospel’s.” There is a sense where the sufferings of leadership should bring the people great pain, for their life is bound up with the leadership’s life. Yet, it should also bring great joy if it is suffering for the sake of the gospel.
“—assuming you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.” A stewardship is an administration. It is a responsibility to arrange something and care for something for another. And that stewardship had been given to Paul. And it was a stewardship of the message of the gospel, which is the expression of God’s grace. And that stewardship had been given to Paul by God personally for the sake of the Gentiles. In other words, Paul found himself in the highly privileged position of being the vessel through which the Gentiles would hear the gospel of grace.
In fact, the same word is seen back in 1:10 where Paul spoke of the “administration (oikonomia) of the fullness of the times, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” God has arranged the world according to a plan and fixed order with the purpose of uniting everything under his Son. And now Paul has received an “administration”—a stewardship, oikonomia—which was for the purpose of bringing God’s plan to light. In fact, he says as much in 3:9—it has been given to Paul “to bring to light for everyone what is the plan (oikonomia) of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things.”
What an amazing privilege Paul had! That must have been humbling! And it should be humbling for us too. Even if we did not receive a stewardship in the same way that Paul did, our message is the same as his. After all, we are Gentiles! We learned it from Paul. Paul was given to the church for this purpose. The very thought that the all-encompassing plan of God, the great goal of enveloping all things under Christ’s headship and restoring the proper order of the universe would be a stewardship that is given to us should be highly motivating to preach the gospel to the people around us. If we are truly convinced that God’s plan is driving forward through the proclamation of the gospel, we will joyfully proclaim it!
And they have heard “how the mystery was made known to me by revelation.” It was revealed to Paul. The words “by revelation” are the point of this sentence. It was revealed. And that was precisely why it was a mystery. Paul didn’t figure it out on his own. He didn’t deduce it through theological reasoning. He didn’t concoct it through philosophy or seminary. It was revealed.
But notice also, “as I have written.” This is a small but important insight. The mystery of God, hidden for long ages in God’s mind, now revealed to the apostles and prophets, made known through their preaching, has now been written down. Paul refers to chapter 2, but it is still stunning. Paul wrote down the mystery! He wrote it down! How is it that we do not read? How can we not read the bible? It has profound wisdom, revelations of the mystery, answers to the deepest and must fundamental questions of the universe. It is divine wisdom! And yet we struggle to read it for five minutes in the morning.
II. The Timing of the Mystery (3:4-5)
If the steward of the mystery was Paul, then the timing is now. Notice, it is when you read this that the they perceive insights. It is through the reading of the apostolic writings that we come to perceive the revelation of God. Reading. Now, granted, when Paul speaks of “reading,” he means the public and audible reading out loud in the church. Nevertheless, how much would the early church have given for a personal copy of Scripture! And we have it! How many Bibles are in this room? That’s more than would have existed in a whole country during the early church.
Now, this is no simple reading of Scripture—no rote reading. It is reading suffused with the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember 1:17, where Paul prayed that God would give the Ephesians “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” Paul is not saying that each believer should have a personal, mystical revelation given to them. He is saying that we need the Holy Spirit to understand what Paul wrote down! He is saying that unless we have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, the eyes of our hearts remain dark, but that when he opens our eyes we see hope and riches and power. And so here’s the question: do you know that hope and riches and power? When you read the Bible, do you see? If you do, rejoice! Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. If not, then pray with earnestness that the Father would pour out on you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you would understand and have hope and gain riches and experience power.
And here’s Paul’s point: now, we can read and understand because God has given that revelation now through the foundational offices of the church. These are insights which could not have been made known to any other generation, no other group of people. The “sons of men” beforehand—any and every human being—could not have divined this mystery. But now it is revealed through his holy apostles and prophets. And they have written down the mystery, and they have formed the foundation of the church, and ever we build on the foundation they laid.
Now, a word about that little word “as.” There are two ways to read that. The first way is to say “It was revealed before, but not like it is now. Now it is full and complete, then it was partial.” Like when you would say, “The economy is not as bad in previous years, as it is now.” This is certainly possible. But I think a better way to read it, given what we’ve already said about the mystery, is this way: “It was not revealed then, as it has now been revealed.” Like when you would say “Our economy is not bad, as yours is.” There is a categorical difference that has happened. There was the “then,” and the “now.” There was the 2:11, “one time” and the 2:13, “but now.”
The change in the ages was attended by a new revelation. When God acts to move his plan forward, no matter the time period, he always explains what he is doing by telling it to the prophets. Amos 3:7 says, “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”
It is certainly true that there were aspects of God’s plan for the Gentiles that were revealed in the Old Testament. There were clues that were left which now make much more sense in light of God’s developing plan. Yet, the reality of the church—one body, both Jew and Gentile without distinction in Christ—that was new. That had never been revealed before.
III. The Content of the Mystery (3:6)
The steward of the mystery was Paul, the timing is now, and the content is this: that Jews and gentiles are co-inheritors, co-body members, and co-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Now, to be clear, Paul is not saying that the mystery was that Gentiles could be saved. Gentiles always could be saved in the same way that the physical offspring of Abraham were saved: by grace through faith. Ruth the Moabitess, Rahab of Jericho, the sailors on Jonah’s boat, and other Gentiles all possessed a saving knowledge of the Lord. It is true that Gentile salvation then was comparatively rare in relation to today, but it nonetheless happened.
Paul is also not saying that the mystery was that Gentiles would receive blessing. We also knew that. Even from the inception of the Jewish people through Abraham, the promise was that in Abraham, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3). Gentile blessing was always part of the plan. Thus, when the nations bless Israel, they receive blessing—such as King Darius with Daniel, or Abraham and Abimelech. And when the nations curse Israel, God curses them, like Egypt of the Ammonites.
Paul is also not saying that the mystery was that Gentiles would be involved in God’s plan. That was also always the case. For example, in Zechariah 14:16-19, it describes the reality of Christ’s world-wide rule after his return—that all the nations would have to go to Jerusalem to worship the king and keep the Feast of Booths, and that if they don’t the Lord would not send any rain on them. The Gentiles were always to be involved in the plan of God.
What was unrevealed to the sons of men in previous generations was not Gentile salvation, nor Gentile blessing, nor Gentile involvement, but the reality of the union of Jew and Gentile in Christ in one body. It would not just that Gentiles could be saved, blessed, and involved, but that they didn’t have to become Jews in order to do so! In other words, the mystery was the recreation of a new humanity that included all humanity. In other words, v6, “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.”
Here we need to avoid two errors: the legalist error and the supercessionism error. This mystery does not mean that Gentiles become Jews, which is the legalist error. That would be to promote the very error which Paul was so dedicated to defeat. The dividing wall of hostility has been broken down by the abolition of the law of commandments expressed in ordinances. Gentiles don’t need to become Jewish in order to be included in the people of God. This is true in circumcision, but also in law keeping. The mission to the Gentiles is law-free. The church is, in that sense, a law-free zone. It is a place where the law is not in effect but a new law of love has essentially taken its place—which, incidentally, fulfills the requirements of the law. Thus, we do keep the law as the church, but in an indirect way.
This also does not mean that Jews become Gentiles in the church. This would be to promote the error of supercessionism, which is the idea that an essentially Gentile church has replaced a Jewish nation. Supercessionism fundamentally promotes the idea that, rather than doing a new thing—neither Jewish nor Gentile, but human—God has transformed or repurposed an old thing into a new thing, like reclaimed wood or a refurbished car with new tricked out features. Namely, he has transformed Jewish nation into a generic, interethnic, Gentile church. But this is also an error, for what constitutes the Jewish nation is the Abrahamic promises, not the Mosaic covenant. Even the Mosaic covenant is clear on this. Moses merely administrates the Abrahamic covenant, but it does not constitute the people as a people. Thus, if the law of Moses is taken away, the Jewish people are not necessarily taken away. Which means that if Jews are included in the church apart from the law, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are no longer Jews who are, in a unique way, bound by the unilateral promises to Abraham.
The right way of understanding the church is that of, what I call, a “recreationist” view. That believing Gentiles and the remnant of believing Jews have together been incorporated into the church—and that church really is a new man. It is neither Jewish, nor Gentile, but a reconstitution of humanity with all its various forms and expressions—including culture, language, ethnicity, nationality, and all other elements of what it means to be human. In other words, in the church, humanity has been recreated. It is something new, something different, something which is not Jewish or Gentile in nature. It is a return to the humanity of Adam, who was neither Jewish nor Gentile. It belongs to a new age and order. And yet, being incorporated does not obliterate your identity, your nationality, or your ancestry. It rather informs and transforms those things.
What does the text specifically say about Gentiles? Three things
1. Fellow Heirs – That is, we are inheritors. Inheritors of what? It makes most sense to say that it’s the same inheritance Paul spoke of in Ephesians 1:14—the inheritance of a new world of which the Holy Spirit is the guarantee until the redemption of the possession. And Gentiles are no less inheritors of that world as Jews are.
2. Members of the same body — That is, we are both united to Christ, both equally part of the church, and therefore joined to each other without one possessing a lordly privilege over the other. 1:23 says that the church is the body of Christ, and 2:16 says that if you are united to Christ, you are united in one body to God.
3. Partakers of the promise in Christ — That is, “sharers together with,” partaking or sharing in some endeavor. And we are partakers in “the promise.” Which promise? The greatest clue we have is in 1:13, where it speaks of “the Holy Spirit of promise.” It comes through the Holy Spirit.
And what a privilege that is! Again, we should be overwhelmed! But here’s the key: it is through the gospel. We are included through the good news that The Son of God has become a human being, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, was buried, on the third day rose again for our justification, has ascended to heaven, is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us, and will one day return. That gospel has brought us in by faith and repentance. It is through this good news that we are saved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, let us reflect on a few points of application:
1. Let us appreciate the plan of God in all its manifold wisdom. It’s easy to forget that we’re Gentiles. And it’s easy to overlook the massive significance of Gentile inclusion simply because we do not fully appreciate God’s plan. How often do you think in terms of the whole plan of God? When was the last time you thought about the relationship between the law and the Christian? Between Jew and Gentile? Between Israel and the Church? Perhaps the reason we do not stand in awe of God is because we spend far too much time contemplating his wisdom in Scripture.
2. Let us remember that we always must return to apostolic doctrine in the Scriptures. Let us turn away from those teachers who would imply that Scripture is not sufficient; that it must be supplemented by human traditions or individuals. There is one foundation, laid in the apostles. There is no apostolic succession, any more than there is the relaying of a foundation on top of a foundation. Similarly, there is no prophet who can tell us anything we need to know that we do not already know. Similarly, we must return to the apostolic doctrine by not picking and choosing what we like and don’t like. There are some things in Scripture which are easier to swallow than others. But swallow it whole we must. We must not be like the child who eats only his potato chips and not the rest of his meal. We must be whole-fed, well-balanced Christians who believe all that the Scriptures say.
3. Let us therefore express our dependence on the revelation of God in Scripture by regularly reading and meditating upon the Scriptures. If we do not, how can we possibly “perceive” the mysteries of God? How can you become wise? Those who do not read and meditate upon the Scriptures choose their own foolishness. They decide to remain ignorant of wisdom which is freely and openly given to them in the Bible.