KNOWN SECRET (EPHESIANS 3)
My mother was called home to the Lord last Wednesday (June 5, 2024). A month before, on Tuesday, May 2, 2024, my 88-year old mother, who was paralyzed and lost her memory for one a half years from Covid, was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia. None of the closest relatives was around, some on holiday and others live abroad, so there was widespread panic. I could not leave immediately because I had a wedding appointment and a class to teach in the next few days.
The doctor said that my mother “did not look good and was in a dangerously ill stage. Her oxygen level was down to 40%.” They did suction for her phlegm, gave her stronger antibiotics and 100% oxygen.
All thorough the week, I prayed for the fighting spirit she gave me to me from her genes to work in her. On Monday, she was in a stable condition, and two days later, I flew to be by her side and spend a whole week with her for Mother’s Day. She passed away five days after her discharge, but the Lord answered my prayer and gave me closure because I was by her side on Mother’s Day.
The two most powerful and greatest prayers of Paul are found in the book of Ephesians, in 1:15–23 and 3:14-21. Prayer heals people, relationships and wounds. When God saved us, He called us to be ministers, mediators and models of pardon, peace and prayer. We are to be His imitators, intercessors and intermediaries.
How is God’s grace manifested in the world today? How does the gospel work in daily living? How is God glorified in our race relationships?
Close the Gap
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6 This 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.
Like kids my generation, I read books from Enid Blyton, one of the most famous author of “mystery” novels whose 700 books and about 2,000 short stories had sold over 600 million copies. What is a mystery (vv 3, 4, 9 musterion)?
“A mystery in the Bible is something God reveals to His children that men cannot discover.”
“A mystery in the Bible is something God knows but has not yet been revealed to men on earth.”
“A mystery in the Bible is something that was hidden in the past but is no longer hidden. It’s something that was once concealed, but is now revealed.”
“A ‘mystery’ in the Bible is, in some ways, the very opposite of a ‘who-done-it’ in a book or a movie. It is meant to make sure you know everything that relates to ‘the mystery’ right from the very start.”
“A mystery in the Bible is not something dark, obscure, or puzzling, but an open secret now proclaimed publicly.”
“A 'mystery' in the Bible is a term that is used to describe a truth from God that cannot be known by human effort or reasoning.”
Paul proudly called himself the apostle to the Gentiles at least twice in the Bible (Rom 11:13, 1 Tim 2:7). The focus, however, was not on his works but on God’s wisdom. He revealed the mystery of the ages: “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.” (v 6) The term “mystery” (musterion) occurs in verse 3, 4 and 9, the most of any chapter in the Bible. One of the greatest mysteries in the world is the salvation of the Gentiles.
The three single-word adjectives for the outcome of the mystery of Christ (v 4) are that the Gentiles are “heirs together” (SUG-kleronomos), “members together of one body” (SUS-somos) and “sharers together” (SUM-metochos). “Heirs together” is a legal term, and “members together” (of one body) is a biological term, just as ‘sharers together” is a relational term. Heirs are the same family, members are the same flock, and sharers are the same fellowship. The first concerns inheritance, the next is about interrelationship, and the last is involvement.
V 6, Heirs together
(sug-kleronomos) Members together
(sus-somos ) Sharers together
(sum-metochos)
Legal Biological (of one body) Relational
Family Flock Fellowship
Inheritance Interdependence Intercessions
It might shock you to know that while “Gentiles” are mentioned three times in the chapter (vv 1, 6, 8), while “Jews” are never mentioned in the book of Ephesians. Rather than contrasting “Gentiles” with “Jews” Paul contrasted with “men/sons of men” in general and “holy apostles and prophets” (v 5) and fellowheirs (v 6). God does not focus on our ancestry, appearance or achievement. He did not save us to be countrymen, compatriots and comrades, but to be His children, church and congregation.
Count Your Riches
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. 8 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, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 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, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
When I shared early on a Sunday morning the news that Iran had attacked Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles (April 14, 2024), I was surprised by a young adult who lashed out at the failed attack. The person said in Chinese, “????,?? (Intercepted, too bad)”
I immediately, responded, “No la, pray for peace.”
The person vented his full fury: “Now you are praying for peace? I remember the church was speaking out for and praying for Israeli soldiers who commit genocide against Palestinians. And why are your sending this to me now? Because Israel is the one being attacked now? Israel has been killing people in Palestine for so long and you never sent me anything saying to pray for peace.”
The world at large has a lot of hostility and hate for Israel, with no hope of healing soon!
What is grace and how is grace manifested (v 7)? The idea of the conversion of the Gentiles was not just irrational, irresponsible and inconceivable, but shocking, scandalous and sacrilegious an idea as any in the world, just as the co-existence of the Jews and other Middle East neighbors. Jews and Gentiles are square pegs in a round whole, apples and oranges, night and day. On top of that, by God’s grace, Paul turned from being a persecutor of the church to become a prisoner (v 1) of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles, and from a missionary to the Jews to being a servant/minister (v 7) to the Gentiles. Paul, one of the most radical, ruthless and reactionary Jews known, absurdly and antithetically, was God’s instrument to carry out His missions to the Gentiles.
Grace is unearned, undeserved and unmerited, just as from the “the least of all God’s people,” Paul had become “a servant of the gospel” because of God’s grace (v 8). There are two infinitives of purpose in Paul’s calling- to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (v 8) and to make plain to everyone the fellowship (oikonomia) of this mystery. For Paul, his two-fold purpose was to make available to the Gentiles the riches of Christ and to make apparent or aware to the world the mystery.
The “hina” (v 10) ultimate purpose, however, was that the manifold wisdom of God should be “made known” to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. The verb “make known” appears three times in the chapter (vv 3, 5, 10), more than any chapter in the Bible. It means indisputable, irreversible and improbable will of God. It is an unbelievable as the idea of the Jews and Arabs are brothers and sisters, on family, in Christ, that He is the God of Jews as well as the God of Gentiles (Rom 3:29), that we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body (1 Cor 12:13).
The manifold (polu-poikilos) wisdom (sophia). The adjective “manifold” (polu-poikilos) is a one-time word in the Bible. The adjective “polu-” means many or much, and the adjective “poikilos” means diverse or different. The reception of the Gentiles is the manifold wisdom of God. There is no more wisdom that the admittance of Gentiles in God’s program. How did Paul manage to placate the Jews? By not mention the Jews in Ephesians!
Claim His Love
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may “strengthen” you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may “dwell” in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, TO grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to “know” this love that surpasses knowledge — THAT you may be FILLED to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
April and May (April 2024) must be “answer-to-prayer” months for me. In the first week of April, a visiting friend told me over dinner he might be moving back to Hong Kong at the end of the year because a close relative has cancer. We had dinner with the unsaved relative who is on my prayer list for a few years. As usual, I told him, “I pray for you daily.”
As I have been sending Bible-verse images daily to my Yap family group since October 2023 because most members has serious illnesses, I decided to risk sending my friend’s relative the daily Bible verse as well, beginning from April 6, 2024. Once I even sent the person a memory verse (??), to which he replied, “What Scripture??” I explained to him that it is from the Bible.
A month later, the man’s sister texted me: “My brother accepted Christ. Please continue to pray for him. Pray that he will grow in Christ. He accepted Christ on May 4.” I could only respond, “Wow, Amen!”
This is one of the two most powerful prayers of Paul in the Bible, including Ephesians 1:15-23.
God's love is like an ocean. You can see its beginning, but not its end. —Rick Warren.
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” – Saint Augustine
V 16, “to” strengthen (infinitive 1) V 17, “to” dwell (infinitive 2) V 19, “to” know (infinitive 3)
(through) His SPIRIT CHRIST (may dwell) …fullness of GOD
V 16, INNER being/man + HINA “IN ORDER TO grasp” (kata-lambano)
V 18, WIDE and LONG and HIGH and DEEP + HINA “IN ORDER TO be filled”
V 19, all the FULLNESS of God
Humanity (inner man) Infinity Divinity
Empowerment Extension Entirety
Now we come to the second of Paul’s great Trinitarian prayer for the Ephesians besides Ephesians 1:15-21 – Jews and Gentiles alike, introduced by three “purpose” infinitives (v 16, “to be strengthened;” v 17, to “dwell” in your hearts; v 19, “to know” the love of Christ, and two “ultimate purposes” (hina) in the last two infinitives!
The verb “strengthen” occurs three other times in the Bible, once as “waxed strong” (KJV) for the young John the Baptist’s growth in the wilderness, once for Jesus’s growth before he reached 12 (Luke 2:40), and lastly for Paul’s command to the Corinthians to act like a man and “be strong” (1 Cor 16:13). Strength means vigor, vitality and victory. It is Spirit-energized, enabled, and enlivened.
The second infinitive of purpose “to dwell” means abiding and not merely attending, residing and not renting, stopping, staying and settling with you. The ultimate purpose (hina) of Christ’s dwelling in order for us TO grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. The verb “grasp” (kata-lambano) is translated as “comprehend” in most translations. It is in the middle voice or “in oneself.” It means more than just appreciate, assess, admire, appreciate or affirm it, but to accept, acquire, appropriate, apprehend and apply the immeasurable, immutable, inexhaustible and infinities God’s love on or for oneself, just as Christ may “dwell in your hearts” (v 17). In the same way, “grasp” is not intellectual but personal, not in one’s thinking but being, not for one’s learning but one’s life. The Greek verbs for “dwell” (kat-oikeo) and “comprehend” (kata-lambano) both have the preposition’ ”kata” or “down” in English, and the verb “lambano” is “receive.”
The third infinitive of purpose is to “know” (v 19) God’s love that surpasses “knowledge” — in order to (HINA) be FILLED to the measure of all the fullness of God. Filled (pleroo) and fullness (plero-ma) are from the same root word. It means “the state of being filled to capacity” (dictionary.com), to be out-bursting, overflowing and optimizing. Full means comprehensive and complete, with nothing lacking, less or lost. Of course this fullness is not ability but in one’s aptitude. A person says, “Fullness means we are not missing anything. Fullness means that “we’re not missing any part of the person of Christ. In Christ we find everything we need for normal, everyday life.” (Andrew Farley) Another quote: “Spiritual fullness means complete salvation, full forgiveness, and absolute victory in Jesus Christ.” It means we are strong, supported and sufficient in Christ.
Conclusion:
Be Human. We share the same origin and destiny.
Be Humble. We share the same high and lows.
Be Hospitable. We share the same fears and tears.
Be Honorable. We share the same blessings and greetings.
Be Hopeful. We share the same dreams and aspirations.
