"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles"--Thus begins the third chapter of the letter to the Ephesians. But the sentence gets no farther: whatever it was that he started to say, Paul suddenly breaks off and begins to discuss more fully an important matter he had before touched upon. The broken sentence is never finished; but its thought is taken up again in 3:14 and in 4:1.

      Paul is a prisoner in Rome; but he counts it high honor, for he is the Lord's prisoner; and it was because of his faithful work on behalf of the Gentiles that he had now become a Roman prisoner. Paul was par excellence the apostle of Christ to the Gentiles. (See Acts 9:15; 22:21; Rom. 11:13.) It is concerning this, his important mission and ministry with which he was entrusted by the Lord Jesus Christ that he must here stop to speak before he can go farther. They knew something of it, of course; for did he not preach and teach and labor among Jews and Gentiles at Ephesus "by the space of three years," until all that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord"? And surely they must also have known of the fact that "by revelation was made known to Paul the mystery" (already briefly touched in the first of this epistle, 1:9 and 2:11-16)--hence his understanding in the mystery of Christ." Here are his words:--

      In common usage the word "mystery" generally means something dark and inscrutable. But in the New Testament it means simply a secret, which before it was revealed was not and could not be known. But after the secret is revealed it may be a very simple thing, and quite easily understood. It is in this sense that the word "mystery" is here used, as we see in Paul's own definition:

      What then is that great Secret, that Mystery which never before was so made known to men? What is that long hidden truth which now is made known, and the administration of which has so specially been committed to the apostle Paul? It is this:

      "that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ [24] Jesus, through the gospel." (Eph. 3:6.)

      It is not merely that Gentiles were to be saved and blessed through Christ. That was never any secret. From the promise to Abraham on ("in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed"), in the Law, in the prophets, in the Psalms, this great truth was revealed and many times reiterated. That was not the mystery which in other generations had not been made known. Nor was it a secret that upon the Jew's refusal of God's mercy He would turn to the Gentiles (Rom. 9:25, 26; 10:9, 10). Of that they had been fore-warned long ago, by Moses and the Prophets. But the new thing was this, that God would create a Body, of which Christ Himself would be the living Head (Eph. 1:22, 23); of which body (and in it) both Jews and Gentiles (i. e., individuals of both) should be fellow-members, and equal sharers in all the privilege and promise that belonged to such a high and wondrous position. And all that on a basis of perfect equality--Jews and Gentiles being united to Christ, and to one another in Christ without distinction. For, as is declared elsewhere, "there can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28); and, again, "where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all." (Col. 3:11.) This body, thus vitally one with Christ, and all its members compact together in Him, is the Church. And although the full revelation of this was reserved until the national rejection of Israel was evident and complete, it was not ("as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say") an afterthought on part of God (much less "an accident"). As if anticipating such cavil, the apostle presently informs us that this was of God's eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ. (Vs. 10, 11.)

      There is another theme running through the pages of Old Testament prophecy--the promise of rejected Israel's national return and reception and regeneration and restoration; and the consequent world-wide blessing of Gentile nations through restored Israel. That is quite another thing. That is not a mystery, but a prospect plainly set forth by the prophets, many times over. This plan and purpose has not been dropped. (Rom. 11:11-15, 25-29.) But this is not that which is spoken of in Ephesians.

      Of this great mystery, then, this Divine Secret never before divulged, was Paul made a minister "according to that gift of the grace which was given me, according to the working of his power."

      But once more Paul must speak of his ministry in the dispensation of this great mystery, to extol the exceeding marvel [25] and glory of it.

      What we do not fully perceive is seen and understood by "the principalities and powers in the heavenly places"--angelic hosts, both good and evil. The angels of God wonder and adore; the spiritual hosts of wickedness (Eph. 6:12) tremble and rage, for these higher intelligences can well see the great issues involved in the creation of the church, and they marvel at "the manifold wisdom of God" as manifested in it.

      One item more he adds: In Christ "we have boldness and access [free admittance] in confidence through our faith in him." This is a restatement of what was said in 2:18--"Through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father."

      The dispensing of this truth is a ministry so great and wonderful, that Paul reckons it well worth all the suffering he might have to endure as "the prisoner of Christ Jesus" in the discharging of it. His affliction instead, of being occasion of dismay and discouragement, is something for them to glory in. Memory in the feats of heroism and valiant enduring of pain and hardship in carnal warfare--well: do you therefore look upon my sufferings not as shame or loss, but honor and gain. "Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory." (v. 13.)

[LOE 24-27]