Text: Ephesians 3:2-12
Date: January 8, 2023
Event: The Epiphany of our Lord (Observed), Year A
Ephesians 3:2–12 (EHV)
Surely you have heard of the administration of God’s grace given to me for you, 3namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation (as I have already written briefly). 4When you read this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5This mystery was not made known to people in past generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. 6This mystery is that in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and people who also share in the promise through the gospel.
7I became a servant of this gospel, in keeping with the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. 8To me—even though I am the very least of all the saints—was given this grace: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ 9and to enlighten everyone about the administration of this mystery. In past ages this mystery remained hidden in God, who created all things. 10He did this so that, through the church, the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was done according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12In him we can freely approach God with confidence through faith in him.
The Mystery Is Revealed
Do you like mysteries? Do you like a who-done-it book or movie? Do you like looking into things that seem to have no rational explanation? A few months ago I was watching several videos online of magicians performing tricks and illusions, and some of them were baffling. But then you can find other videos that go into some detail on how a particular trick is done and it’s like someone has pulled back the curtain to reveal the hidden workings of what is actually happening. You can see the misdirection or the slight of hand the produces something that seemed to be impossible.
That idea of the curtain being pulled back is a great picture to describe the season of Epiphany that we have entered into this week. Technically, the festival of Epiphany is on January 6, but since we do not have a worship service on that day, we’re observing the festival today. The word “epiphany” just means a “revealing,” a showing off of something previously unknown and unseen.
This whole season will focus on God pulling back the curtain and showing us more fully just who Jesus is and what he came to do. We may not learn brand new things in the coming weeks, but we will walk away with a Spirit-given renewed appreciation for all that Jesus did to save us from our sins.
But this festival of Epiphany is really the first revelation of the arrival of the Messiah to Gentiles, to those who are not Jewish. Mary and Joseph knew, Zechariah and Elizabeth and even then-unborn John the Baptist knew. The shepherds and everyone they talked to knew. Simeon and Anna in the temple knew. But what about those outside of Jerusalem and Judea and Galilee? What about those not descended from Abraham?
When the star appeared in the sky, it meant something to a group of wise men. We don’t really fully understand all the why’s and how’s of what the star was and how these men knew that it indicated the birth of the Savior of the world, but they did. In some way, God made it clear to them what this meant. And these Gentile believers wasted no time in making the trek. First to Jerusalem then to Bethlehem, we heard in our Gospel that these worshipers of the child Jesus speared no time or expense in showing their praise to their young Savior. That’s the reason this festival of Epiphany is sometimes called “Gentile Christmas,” because it’s the celebration of the Savior’s being revealed to those outside of his bloodline.
All of that is a long preface to bring us to the our Second Reading for this morning from Ephesians. The apostle Paul was a self-proclaimed “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5), a Pharisee so dedicated to his Jewish faith and bloodline that when this message about Jesus of Nazareth and his followers seemed to be threatening what he held dear, he persecuted the early church violently. Thinking he was serving God, he saw to it that Christians were arrested and even approved when they were murdered.
But you know the story of Paul’s conversion. On the road to Damascus coming to arrest Christians in that city, the resurrected and ascended Jesus appeared to Paul with a cutting question, “Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). This was an epiphany of the highest degree because in that moment it was clear that he was not serving God; Paul was warring against God.
But rather than strike down the impudent Pharisee where he stood, Jesus had other plans for him. He called him with a very special purpose: to be his messenger primarily to the Gentiles, to bring the good news of sins forgiven to all people, not just to the Jewish people. He would pick up a thread that the wise men had left for him and continue to spread the gospel to the world. This reality, that Jesus was a Savior for all, is what Paul called “the mystery of Christ.” “This mystery is that in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and people who also share in the promise through the gospel.”
The mystery has an epiphany, it has a revealing. God had been clear about this in the past, but not many had understood or taken it to heart. The words of the prophets went ignored or misunderstood for generations until the gospel went out in force after Jesus’ ascension. This Jesus is for all people.
But it’s bigger than that. It’s an emphasis that Jesus’ forgiveness doesn’t depend on a list of rules followed, it doesn’t depend on a family line of some importance, it doesn’t depend on anything. If God’s forgiveness is for all—even the Gentiles—then this forgiveness must be something given, not earned. This forgiveness must be a gift of God’s love for people, not something anyone did to deserve it.
Paul of all people could recognize that. A persecutor of the Savior turned into one of its chief proponents? What grace is this? I became a servant of this gospel, in keeping with the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. To me—even though I am the very least of all the saints—was given this grace: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to enlighten everyone about the administration of this mystery.
But we don’t have to be a former persecutor to appreciate this. Each one of us can take stock of our own lives and see sin after sin in it. We see unfaithfulness after unfaithfulness. We see failure after failure. We see rebellion after rebellion against our God. We’re barely a week into this new year. Have you been perfect since the calendar flipped to 2023? No? Ok, what about just since you got up this morning? No? Ok, well, what about since this sermon started? No? Me neither.
Every bit of evidence says that God should abandon on, he should have nothing to do with us and just cast us aside. We bring nothing of value to him; we contribute nothing but wrath-inducing behavior. And so to speak of the love of God seems like a magician’s slight of hand. That can’t be real. There must be some deception. We couldn’t possibly be loved by the God whom we have so violently fought against in our thoughts words and actions.
And then God pulls back the curtain and shows us his true love—love that we did not earn and certainly do not deserve, but love that he gives to us anyway. That love was wrapped in swaddling clothes and was lying in manager. That love was adored by those who followed the star with gifts to the child King. That love is the one who lived in our place and died the death we deserved only to conquer the grave by his resurrection.
The love of God is a mystery that we will never fully be able to explain. It will never make sense. But just because it doesn’t make sense doesn’t mean it’s not real. The love of God, this eternal mystery, has been revealed to us in Jesus, and he who did not spare his own Son will surely provide you with all that you need now and for eternity. As we continue into the early hours of this new year, relish that mystery that is so real as you kneel with the shepherds and worship with the wise men. Rejoice in the results of Jesus’ work for you: This was done according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him we can freely approach God with confidence through faith in him. Amen.
