Gordon McPhee

                                                  Matthew 2: 1-12

LEARNING TO SHARE

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:1-12

God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

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 people 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.

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 the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless 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 that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

WELCOME:

Thinking about today’s message, I had an epiphany, which just means that something came to mind, however; it is usually supposed to express something significant. This is the Sunday we celebrate Epiphany, which occurs tomorrow, January 6^th, twelve days after Christmas. It can be about the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River or Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana, where he turned water into wine. Most often, Epiphany celebrates the coming of the Magi, led by a star to Bethlehem, to worship Jesus as King. Whatever venue is chosen, the theme is Jesus’ being revealed to the world, particularly to the Gentiles.

The story of the visit by the Magi from the East is only told in the Gospel of Matthew, while the Gospel of Luke, in contrast, tells of the humble Jewish shepherds being called by a host of heavenly messengers to come and worship the newborn king. The concept is that the news of the Messiah was brought to the Jews first, and then, represented by the twelve days to Epiphany, the gentile Magi are led to worship the child Jesus almost two years later. In reality, the Magi were probably Jews as well, who had remained in Babylon after the seventy-year exile in the 5^th century BC, hence their knowledge of the prophecy of the Messiah.

All this is to introduce the epiphany Paul brings to the church at Ephesus: “that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel.”

SERMON:

If we are going to grasp what Paul is trying to get across in his letter to the Ephesians, we need to begin with a clear understanding of the word ‘administration.’ It is used twice in the NIV translation of our passage, and it has connotations that can be misleading. In most other versions, it is translated as ‘stewardship’ or ‘plan’ or ‘commission,’ but in defense of the NIV, ‘administration’ may be more accurate as long as we remove the idea of decision-making or being the boss. One definition from Merriam-Webster that clarifies the distinction is “the work involved in managing … affairs as distinguished from policy-making.” The literal meaning is “to steer”. The administrator doesn’t decide on the direction, destination, nor the crew or sails to deploy. They ensure that all that is directed is done and the course maintained.

When Paul speaks of the “administration of God’s grace,” he’s not touting his authority to govern but rather the correctness of his direction that was, as he said, “given to me for you.” Paul has worked very hard in the preceding paragraphs of this epistle to establish his authority as one to whom God has given the job of administering the gospel message. As he said of the mystery made known to him by revelation, “as I have already written briefly.” This isn’t something the Ephesians nor you or I will figure out from studying nature and the universe. Reason and philosophy nor study and meditation will discover it. As Paul said, it is a mystery.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul is about to reveal something that cannot be discovered except by direct revelation from God. It is something they, and we, will have to accept as a matter of faith, trusting in the authority of Paul as an apostle to whom God has revealed this truth. This is why Paul has spoken so adamantly in his letter until now of his commission by God as an apostle, not by his own worthiness, but by God’s selection and ordination.

In the same way that God has revealed His plans and expectations, His established order of good and evil, right and wrong through His prophets Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and so many others, He also speaks through Paul. The truth of who God is and what He is doing in the world that cannot be fathomed from creation and the universe is revealed by Him through His apostles and prophets. It is a mystery that cannot be found in any other way.

“The Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” And your muted reaction to that is, “ok, we know this; it’s why we’re here. It’s the reason Paul was writing to the Ephesians. They were already a community of believers. So what’s the big mystery? Why the big build-up, you ask?”

Well, I’m glad you asked me that question. Or did I ask that question for you? It doesn’t matter; what’s important is that we ask the question. Or, maybe more importantly, that we wait for an answer. Often, when we run into a passage like this in scripture, we hear the question in our heads, but we never take the time to look for an answer. We’re so used to things in scripture not making perfect sense in our modern situation and finding that we have nowhere to readily go for an answer that we just assume it’s unimportant. It’s a cultural anomaly or a translation issue. Unfortunately, we often miss the mystery because we do not make the effort to find an answer to what most probably is a perfectly legitimate question, like this one.

Why is it a mystery that must be discovered through revelation “that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel?” What is it about something we take for granted that is, in fact, a mystery? Well, maybe the answer begins by looking at what we take for granted, which our passage refers to as the gospel, the promise in Christ Jesus. The gospel is not that Jesus is coming or has come or died on the cross for your sins. The gospel is the promise. The promise that we share with Israel. And it is a promise not ‘of’ Christ Jesus, but ‘in’ Christ Jesus. That isn’t a translation anomaly like administration that can be taken many ways; all the translators agree that it is ‘in’ Christ Jesus. The promise is not of the coming of Christ, but it is the coming of Christ Jesus that fulfills the promise. So what, then, is this promise?

Well, you may remind me that God has made many covenants with His faithful people over the centuries. He made a covenant with Adam and Eve, with Cain, who murdered his brother Abel, and Noah, who saved the remnant of creation. Most memorable are his covenants with Abraham, Isaac and, Jacob, and King David. Although each was different in context and content, they all carried with them the promise. I will give you the gift of faith and count it to you as righteousness. Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” And many, many other scriptures in the Old and New Testaments affirming God’s covering of the faithful with righteousness. From God clothing Adam and Eve with animal skins in Eden to clothing His church in the fine linen of righteousness in the Book of Revelation, this is God’s promise and work he has fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

It is a promise fulfilled in Christ Jesus but that we share with all those whom God has favoured since the beginning of creation. We are not some isolated group in history called Christians who forge ahead on the road of progress towards the heavenly goal, leaving the less enlightened and blessed behind, those who came before the law and those to whom the law was given. We are joint heirs with them in righteousness given through the mysterious gift of faith in Christ Jesus. My sister is Eve who believed God’s promise that her seed would bruise the head of the serpent. My brother is Abraham, who believed that he could sacrifice his only son and God would faithfully accomplish all he promised.

We have a tendency, in our Christian piety, to call people to us. To think that God in Christ Jesus has made us the perfect pinnacle of His work and creation, and if they would just come and be like us, they would be much happier. Paul shows us, through his words and example, a better way.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery.
(Ephesians 3:7-9a)

We are servants, the least of all God’s people, graced with God’s power to make plain to everyone this mystery that the promise of God’s faithfulness, fulfilled in Christ Jesus, the gospel, is to everyone.

What an incredible epiphany that is. That you and I, along with Eve and Abraham, Isaiah and Mary, Paul and Mary Gibson, are given the gift of God’s grace through the working of His power to share with everyone, past, present and future, that “through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known … according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The purpose of the promise made to all of us, from the beginning to the end, that God’s gift of faith would be shed abroad by the proclamation of His eternal Word through His people that “we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

There is someone somewhere in the world who needs your prayers. They may not know, understand, or even realize it, but your prayerful concern for their small corner of the world is making all the difference in their lives. They are your Gentiles. Your ‘outsiders’ as Paul refers to the Gentiles. They are other than you but are potentially children of the promise. God inspires your prayers and acts on them, so what He has done and is doing in the world will increase your faith and bring glory to Himself. His gift of faith to you covers you in the righteousness of Christ.

And just maybe, you will be doubly blessed to see the outcome of your prayers and, like Paul, even more so by being given the administration of God’s grace given to you for them. You will know the mystery of the gospel being “members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” with them, your Gentiles, for whom you pray and before whom, by your life, you bear witness.

Amen