Missionary to The Gentiles
April 25, 2022
Commentary
Paul starts out this chapter by saying “I am a prisoner of the Lord so that I can help you Gentiles” (vv. 1-3). It is striking that nowhere does he ever refer to himself as a prisoner of Caesar. Would that we had the faith of this mighty apostle who understood so clearly (while in chains) that Caesar was not in control but that Jesus is. He goes on to say that when you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ (vv. 4-6).
This mystery was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it was now being revealed to His messengers and prophets by the Holy Spirit. In order to understand this part of Paul’s letter we must remember that Paul, a Jew was an apostle primarily to the Gentiles. For many years there had been hostility between the Jews and Gentiles. Paul was God’s chosen instrument to publish the fact that Gentiles were not second-class citizens of heaven.
Over the years many Christians have been imprisoned for their faith. In fact as the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, he did so from a Roman prison as he was chained to a guard. He was a prisoner because he believed in God’s program of uniting believing Jews and Gentiles into one body, the Church. Because he was an “apostle to the Gentiles” he was accused of being prejudiced against the Jews. Thousands of Jews had accepted Jesus Christ as their true Messiah, but they were still “zealous for the law” especially believing that the rite of circumcision was to be a part of their religious experience. It was some of these Jews who caused bad feelings against Paul in Jerusalem. The result was that the people seized him and would have beaten him to death if the Roman soldiers had not stepped in.
Application
When I am undergoing hardship, unpopularity, or material loss for the sake of Christian principles I may either regard myself as the victim of men or as a champion for Christ.
Ephesians 3:1– 6 (NET)
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. 4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ 5 (which was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit), 6 namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
Illustration: Sir Christopher Wren Building
One’s point of view makes all the difference in the world. There is a famous story of the days when Sir Christopher Wren was building St. Paul’s Cathedral. On one occasion he was making a tour of the work in progress. He came upon a man at work and asked him: “What are you doing?” The man said: “I am cutting this stone to a certain size and shape.” He came to a second man and asked him what he was doing. The man said: “I am earning so much money at my work.” He came to a third man at work and asked him what he was doing. The man paused for a moment, straightened himself and answered: “I am helping Sir Christopher Wren build St. Paul’s Cathedral.” (Source Unknown).