The Greatest Mystery August 11th, 2024
God of wisdom, you teach us that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from you. Open our minds and hearts to be nourished by your Word, speaking through the Scriptures. Strengthen us to live that Word as our daily bread. Amen.
We all love a good mystery, whether it’s the novels about Sherlock Holmes, those written by Agatha Christie, or some of the old television shows, such as Murder She Wrote, with Angela Lansbury, we can never seem to get enough of them. Mysteries such as these tap into our curiosity and our desire for discovery. Whether it's a gripping novel, an unsolved historical event, or a puzzling crime, mysteries challenge our minds and keep us engaged. They invite us to piece together clues, think critically, and explore the unknown.
At our core, we humans are curious beings. We crave the excitement of uncovering secrets, solving puzzles, and piecing together clues. A good mystery allows us to experience this thrill without the dangers involved in real-life investigations. We get to play detective from a safe distance, and that’s undeniably exhilarating.
Well, this morning our New Testament lesson speaks of a mystery far greater than anything we humans can come up with, and that is the mystery of God’s love for us. This mystery is the perfect example of the boundless grace and wisdom of God. It’s a reminder of his divine purpose for mankind and of the power of the Gospel message.
So, let’s have a look at this unsolvable mystery and see what secrets it will reveal to us.
Today’s New Testament reading came from the first thirteen lines of third chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians and within that relatively short passage he uses the word ‘mystery’ four times. The first two appear in the opening line where Paul writes, “This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given to me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.”
Now the solution to the understanding of the first use of the word mystery can be explained by Paul’s words, “This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles” When Paul calls himself a “prisoner for Christ” he is not being dramatic, he actually was being held prisoner in Rome because of a riot in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders there had accused Paul of taking a Gentile into the Temple, something which was strictly forbidden. They felt superior to others outside their faith and would not allow them in the temple. Because of this some agitators had tried to attack Paul, and a riot ensued. In order to restore peace, the Roman authorities arrested Paul and shipped him off to Rome to stand trial for inciting the riot.
What’s interesting is that, as I’ve said many times before now, Paul, before coming to faith, was a fervent persecutor of Christians. He was a Pharisee, one of the strictest branches of the Jewish faith, as he said himself, “I was a Pharisee of Pharisees”. So, before his extraordinary encounter with Jesus on that Damascus Road he never would have dreamed of associating with Gentiles, let alone bring one to the temple in Jerusalem. But now all that had changed, and he truly was a “prisoner for Christ”.
And when he says, “for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given to me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation.”, the mystery he is referring to occurred when he had a second encounter with Jesus after he had returned from Damascus to Jerusalem and went to the temple to pray. Jesus appeared to him and warned him to leave Jerusalem as his life was in danger. Jesus then gave him the command, “‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles’” (Acts 22:21) So, for Paul this mystery is why he had been chosen by Jesus to bring the Gospel to those people he had once persecuted to the death.
Paul’s second use of the word “mystery” appears in the next line when he writes, “as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.” This is a mystery which we alone would never solve as long as we are here on earth, that is why God sent his only Son here to earth to be a sacrifice as an atonement for our sins. In Jesus, we have forgiveness through his death on the cross and we are blessed with his abundant grace. The Apostle Paul wanted us to understand this so that we would know that Jesus was our Saviour.
This mystery lies in God’s love for humanity. He sent Jesus, his only begotten Son, to bridge the gap caused by sin. The disciple John explains this perfectly, when he says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God’s plan of redemption and reconciliation with mankind can be found in the work of Christ which cannot be grasped by human insight alone. God is doing something new in the death and resurrection of Christ that allows all people to enter equally into God’s promises. This is the gospel, or good news, of which Paul is a servant by God’s grace.
Paul’s third mention of mystery occurs when he says, “In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” When Paul says that this aspect of the mystery had not been made known in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets, he means that God has revealed new truth regarding the church.
The Old Testament often spoke of God’s blessing on the Gentiles, but it was not clear that they would become part of the family of God. In the Old Testament, the extent of God’s plan was not fully revealed to humanity. While prophets like Abraham, David, and others knew of Christ and the blessings he would bring to all people, they did not grasp the complete scope of God’s grace toward the Gentiles. God wanted all people to receive his glory and mercy.
But now, as Paul would write to the church in Galatia, “in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal. 3:14) In other words, the newly revealed truth that Paul and the New Testament apostles proclaim is that the Gentiles are equal with the Jews in the church. They are, “fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
The sacrificial gift of Christ’s own life reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God and consequently, to each other. In Christ, there is a new humanity in which all are one body, a place where God actually dwells. Part of the mystery, now revealed, is that all believers who are united with Christ are also united with each other. We are fellow heirs, fellow members of the same body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. In our faith, we are all members of the household of God.
And finally, for the fourth, and last time Paul uses the word mystery when he says, “…to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
Now, this was the mystery which began to be revealed at Bethlehem, when Jesus was there as a tiny human baby laying in that manger of a stable, uncovering the full glory of what God has done for man.
It all comes through Jesus. In Christ, God has revealed to all mankind his plan so as to produce the unveiling of this great mystery. This means that all of time and all of history is woven together by the hand of God to bring to pass on these great events. Paul and the other apostles proclaimed it. And it is now our duty and privilege to declare it.
We all have a ministry to perform which has been given to us by God through the work of the Holy Spirit. Every believer ought to have a ministry. This is what makes the church function as God intended it to do – as each one of us has discovered our gifts and the ministry the Lord Jesus has given us. Our gifts are varied, and we are to give and serve in whatever way we can. Paul had the gift of evangelism. Paul never got over the mystery of having received that gift. What a glorious thing it was, he said, that God had given him the great gift to preach this tremendous message to all who had never heard the Good News before.
Also, Paul speaks of the second factor of the effect of his ministry – the ability to reveal the mystery of God to all those he encountered. He says it was given to him “to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things...” The Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2) And this light is the revelation of God, revealed to us through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.
But the greatest gift that God gives us is the Gospel—the good news that Jesus Christ came into this world to save us from our sins. If he has opened the eyes of your heart to trust in Jesus Christ as the one who bore your eternal punishment on the cross, then even if you are going through some bad times, you still have reason to rejoice and be thankful! And if God has saved you, he also has given you some way that he wants you to serve him. The fact that we have been redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus and now put into service for the King of kings should fill our hearts with joyful gratitude to him.
In summary, the Gospel unfolds the mystery of God’s sacrificial love in sending Jesus and provides a path to redemption and eternal life. Jesus, as God’s Son, bridges the gap between humanity and the Father. It’s a profound mystery which reveals God’s immense love for us and his plan to unite his people throughout the world in Christ Jesus through forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, and peace.
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the glory of this mystery which breaks the power of darkness, sets us free from ignorance, and brings us into the kingdom of your love. We pray that we may not keep this secret to ourselves, but will gladly tell the story to others, so that they too may find the unsearchable riches of Christ and your loving mercy. Amen