A Mystery Revealed

“How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.”  Ephesians 3:3-5

Paul was imprisoned in Rome when he wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus.  He wrote this letter to help them understand that they, as Gentiles, had been placed into the body of Christ even though they were not Jews.  It was repentance and belief which gave them access to God the Father and not the law.  As Paul had preached this message of the gospel in Jerusalem and surrounding parts of the holy city, it was this for which he was arrested and sent to Rome where he was jailed.  Thus, he identified himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ because of preaching the inclusion of the Gentiles to a relationship with God.  The Jews had tried to keep God to themselves and depend upon the law for their justification.  That’s why they crucified Jesus, and why Paul was in prison.  What they didn’t realize, though, is that the gospel can’t be locked up.  Paul’s incarceration only caused the gospel to advance even further.

It was God who dispensed His grace upon Paul which allowed him to minister and preach the gospel to Gentiles.  We know that Paul had a heart for his fellow Jews.  He even would have given up, if it was possible, his own relationship with Christ if that would have brought his fellow Israelites to Christ (Romans 9:1-3).  However, God knew that most of Israel would reject Christ, thus it was more beneficial to send Paul to the Gentiles, many of whom would embrace Christ and the gospel.  Several years earlier, Jesus had told His disciples to share Him with the Jewish people, but if they rejected the message, to leave and wipe the dust from their feet as a testimony against those who refused to listen (Matthew 10:14).

It was necessary for the Lord to reveal the mystery that had been hidden for ages, that is, that the gospel was to be shared not only with the Jews, but Gentiles as well, in order to help Paul understand his mission.  Paul had been reared under the law.  The Gentiles had no such relationship with God.  Jesus came to earth, born to a Jewish mother, and, as He said to the woman of Canaan who came to Him for healing for her daughter, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).  However, because of the Gentile woman’s faith, Jesus healed her daughter.  This was a hint that the gospel would not be just for Israel, but for the entire world, not a revelation, but rather a demonstration of God’s love for all people.

Up until now, Paul had included in his letter that Christ had died and paid the penalty for the sins of Gentiles as well as those of the people of Israel, however he had not revealed that this was planned long ago but not made known until God revealed it to him.  Even the ancient priests and most of the prophets were not aware that the coming Messiah would come as the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles.  Their minds and hearts were always focused on God’s chosen people, Israel, and Gentiles were seen as their enemy rather than fellow heirs of God’s kingdom.  When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple as an eight-day old Baby to be circumcised, Simeon the priest held Jesus in his arms and said, “For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32)

In Isaiah 49:6, the LORD said in referencing Christ to Isaiah, “…I will also give Thee for a Light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth”.  Thus, we have two references, one from the New Testament and one from the Old Testament, that the gospel would be meant for Jews and Gentiles, but to the rest of the ancient world, it was a mystery until it was revealed to Paul.  God chose Paul, sent Christ in person to him causing Paul to see the truth and believe in Christ.  He was then sent away to learn from Christ (Galatians 1:16-18) and then was appointed as an apostle of the gospel to the Gentiles by the Lord (Acts 9:15).  All that Paul accomplished as a preacher of the gospel of Christ was due to the grace which God had bestowed upon him by His power.