St. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus,

8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10 that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3: 8-11)

The passage forms part of the Epistle for the feast of the Epiphany and contains some interesting and important ideas which deserve further exploration.

The context is that St. Paul is explaining to his readers his ministry to the Gentiles, a ministry which unites both Jew and Gentile in one body in Christ (see Ephesians 2: 14-16). It is this Gospel of peace which he still proclaims even though he is in prison at the time of writing. Fearing that his life may soon be brought to an end he feels that it is important to remind the churches in his care that the message he has delivered to them is the foundation of their eternal hope.

The general background in scripture is that revelation in the Old Testament in terms of the ‘end things’ and our eternal destiny – something which scholars call ‘eschatology’ – is a matter which is hidden. The purposes of God are explored in part by the prophets, but it is not until the events of the New Testament occur that all is fully revealed. At this point the Word is made flesh and the Spirit is given so that God, his purposes and salvation are fully revealed. Thus the whole of scripture deals with the theme of promise and fulfilment.

In verse 8 St. Paul writes of the unsearchable / unfathomable riches / wealth of Christ. For our author this is a reference to the grace of God which expresses itself not just in the gift of ‘things’, but in Christ which is the gift of himself, something which for the recipient is completely unexpected and undeserved. (Note the humility in the Apostle’s description of himself in this verse).

Continuing in verses 9-10 we discover the cosmic scope of revelation which as already noted is hidden in the Old Testament and foreseen in part by the prophets, but now made manifest in Christ. This revelation is given first of all in the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Secondly, it is given through the life of the Church which is the Body of Christ. The Church presents the truth of God’s grace to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (see the note below) emphasising God’s sovereignty over the cosmos and its powers and rulers. Thirdly, it is given through the new creation which is the fruit of Christ’s work and which is based on the template of the original creation (rather than being a purely spiritual and abstract reality as proclaimed the Gnostic heretics).

The phrase manifold wisdom of God in verse 10 refers to the complexity of the plan worked out in creation in human lives generally, but specifically in the comings and goings of the children of Israel and the members of the Church, both then and now.

Note. In Ephesians the principalities and powers are seen as malign, intermediate entities which exert influence over the earth and prevent access to God. In the Mediterranean world of the 1st Century they are associated with the astrology and magic of the pagan religions, but also with Satan and the fallen angels in contemporary Jewish cosmology.

For further reading: 2 Corinthians 2: 7-10; Colossians 1: 21-23

In these verses are eternal truth and a foundation of hope which serves as a suitable basis for our Lenten devotions.

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