Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Biblical scholars believe he wrote it around 60 AD while in prison in Rome. The first three chapters focus on what we believe as those who have been redeemed by Jesus. The final three chapters focus on how we live out those beliefs individually, as a church family and in our biological families. The letter comes to a close with the powerful message of our need to put on the “whole armor of God” in the spiritual war we face against the devil.
In Ephesians 1, Paul greets the believers in Ephesus, reminds them of God’s providential hand in choosing him and them for salvation, and gives thanks and praise to God for them. This salutation is much different from the Paul offered the Galatian Church. Here Paul offers a much more affirming and even affectionate tone, because the believers in Ephesus have been faithful from the time they heard the good news of Jesus to the current time. While the letter does contain points of correction, it is far more positive in its tone than the letter to the Galatians.
In Ephesians 2, Paul reminded the Ephesians they were once under the control of the devil, as was everyone at one point. Now, though, by God’s great grace they (and we) get to sit with Christ in the heavenlies. The great Bible teacher and pastor of the last century, Watchman Nee, summed up the letter to the Ephesians in a book he wrote about it by titling it Sit, Walk, Stand. As we see here, we are to sit with Jesus in our position as His children. In chapters 4-5, we will read what it means to “walk” in Jesus’ ways. Then in chapter 6, we will read what it means to “stand” firmly against our enemy, the devil. Paul reminded the Ephesians in the powerful words of Ephesians 2:8-10, that we are all saved by grace and not works, so none of us get to boast. As we read the remainder of chapter 2, Paul reminds the Ephesians it doesn’t matter what they once were (pagan Gentiles), because now God has brought the two (Jews and Gentiles) together as one.
In Ephesians 3, Paul tells of how God called him to bring the good news to the Gentiles. He admits he wasn’t worthy of the task, but God gave it to him, and he carried it out faithfully. Midway through the chapter, Paul breaks into a prayer for the Ephesians, which concludes with a recognition of God’s. He concludes the prayer with the often quoted statement,“20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
As we return to Matthew 28, we return to the best news ever: The tomb couldn’t hold Jesus! While the women came to the tomb to “finish” the task of embalming Jesus early on that first Easter morning, Jesus had already risen. The tomb was empty, and the soldiers left to “guard” the tomb were frozen like stone out of fear of the angel who came to open the tomb. Jesus met the women and sent them to tell the disciples He was alive and would meet them on the mountain in Galilee where He told them to go. Meanwhile, the soldiers woke up, realized what had happened, and went to the Jewish authorities to tell them. (They went to the Jewish authorities, because had they gone to their own superiors and told them they fell asleep at their posts, they would have been executed immediately.) The leaders came up with the ludicrous story that Jesus’ disciples had come in the night and stolen His body, while the guards slept. The story is ludicrous for two reasons: 1) if they were sleeping, how would they have known what happened? And 2) If they had fallen asleep, their lives would have been forfeit, which is why Roman soldiers didn’t fall asleep on the job! In any case, the story continued to circulate, because as is often the case, people will believe what they want to believe, regardless of evidence at times.
This amazing account concludes with Jesus meeting the disciples. They worshiped Him, but some doubted. We don’t know why they doubted other than people don’t die and then come back to life three days later. In any case, Jesus gave them their marching orders before He returned to heaven. He told them He held all authority in heaven and on earth, and He was giving it to them, so they could make disciples of all the nations, while they went from that place to the ends of the earth. He commanded them to baptize these disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to do everything Jesus had commanded. He also told them He would be with them to the end of the age. What a powerful final message. It must have been so difficult to “lose” Jesus through death, then to have Him return only to “lose” Him again as He returned to heaven. Thankfully, upon His return to heaven, Jesus came to His followers again through sending the Holy Spirit to live in them (and us) and to empower us to carry out His commands to the ends of the earth!