I enjoy a good mystery that has an unexpected conclusion.
My enjoyment of a good mystery is part of the reason I enjoy the New Testament book of Ephesians. This letter, written by the apostle Paul, is different from other New Testament letters that are attributed to Paul. Whereas most of Paul’s letters were written to address specific concerns of specific congregations in Corinth, Galatia, Philippi, and Colosae, Ephesians was a sermon that was circulated among many churches as it addressed matters of faith that are experienced by all communities of faith and by all people of faith in Jesus. The word Paul used to identify these matters of faith is the word “mystery.” In the six chapters that shape the book of Ephesians, Paul refers to mystery six times:
Ephesians 1:9
God has made known to us the mystery of God’s will according to God’s good pleasure that God set forth in Christ
Ephesians 3:1-5
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 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. 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:
Ephesians 3:9
And to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things
Ephesians 5:32
This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.
The Greek word Paul uses to describe mystery is mysterion, which means “a secret thing.” Like all good mysteries, Ephesians is a story about unexpected conclusions as God’s salvation is revealed through Jesus. The mystery that Paul is writing about in Ephesians was a contrast to the commonly held belief in Paul’s time that Gentiles were not included in the story of God’s salvation that was revealed through the generations of Abraham’s decedents.
It is this mysterion of God’s unexpected love for the Gentiles that Paul and the other apostles revealed as God’s love of God was extended unexpectedly to all people around the world. In Ephesians, the word Paul uses to describe both the expected and unexpected love of God is the word “grace” which Paul defines in Ephesians 2:8-9:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
It was the mystery of God’s grace that Jesus spoke with Nicodemus about in the Gospel According to John in what is probably the most familiar verse of the Bible, John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only begotten Son that whosever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Grace also provides the foundation for the mystery of God’s sending love that was revealed to both Jews and Gentiles in John 3:17:
For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.
In his book, The Grace Shaped Life, Max Lucado defines grace this way:
Grace is everything Jesus. Grace lives because he does, works because he works, and matters because he matters. He placed a term limit on sin and danced a victory jig in a graveyard. To be saved by grace is to be saved by him—not by an idea, doctrine, creed, or church membership, but by Jesus himself, who will sweep into heaven anyone who so much as gives him the nod. Not in response to a finger snap, religious chant, or a secret handshake. Grace won’t be stage-managed. I have no tips on how to get grace. Truth is, we don’t get grace. But it sure can get us. … If you fear you’ve written too many checks on God’s kindness account, drag regrets around like a broken bumper, huff and puff more than you delight and rest, and, most of all, if you wonder whether God can do something with the mess of your life, then grace is what you need. Let’s make certain it happens to you.
I enjoy a good mystery that has an unexpected ending. Like the mystery of God so loving the world that God gave up God’s only begotten Son so that the world might be saved. Like the mystery of living with faith in a Savior who was crucified and is resurrected.
Thanks be to God for the mystery of faith in Jesus.
A Good Mystery
by Pastor Marc Brown
September 15, 2024
Accompanying Scriptures: John 3;14-21 & Ephesians 3:1-10
Fort Hill United Methodist Church
Order of Worship for September 15, 2024
Scripture Lesson John 3;14-21 & Ephesians 3:1-10
The Good News “A Good Mystery”
Prayer
View more Fort Hill United Methodist Church online services.
