The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 129

pointed to their being bu.U in. They were, thererore, objects for iutcrt:cssion, such as their hMthen ancestors had not been. 2. His relation to them. He did not stand at an out.:ide, but in the closest relation to them, such a.s brouaht with it the obli"ation on bis part to pray for them. (1) He had a relanon. to them ta,·ough the co~mon Ma.sur, bei'llg the pri.soner of Christ ,hsm. "I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus." He was not the only one of whom that could be said, but "Paul the prisoner" was well known to them. Indeed, it was an Ephesian named Trophimus who innoccntiy brought him into trouble. He was the prisoner of Cmsar; but who was Cresar but the hand of Christ in the matter? He recognized the fact that it was by Christ's will p1iruarily that he was a prisoner. Christ being above Caisar in power, 11nd therefore able to order it otherwise, it was to human appearance strange that a worker like Paul should at this time have been so restricted in his energies. But he who has eyes like unto a flame of fire saw deeper into it than any other could. One good result which flowed from his imprisonment was that he was able to give himself more to composi- tion. See here how there rose before the mind of the prisoner of Christ a glorious conception of his Church, by which there will be greatest benefit to the end of time. (2) He was the pri,scmer of Christ Jesu.s on behalf of them, the Gentiles. "In behalf of you Genilles." His unbelieving countrymen (who in their spiritual pride wer.e for the exclosi.:in of the Gentiles) had been his bitterest foes, and were, indeed, chargeable (more ihan the Roman authorities) with his imprisonment. He was suffering for his liherolity in seeking to include them, as was the will of Christ, within the pale of the Chnrch. He might well, then, claim to write to them, as well as be expected to offer prayers on their behalf. But, haviug mentioned this ground of his praying for them, he goes aside from his prayer, and does not proceed with the sentence which he·has commmced until the fourteenth ,en;e, giving us a parenthesis which, for length and ,might together, is not surpassed. Transition to the subject of his apostleship. "If so be that ye have heard." Gentiles, for whom he was suffering, could scarcely have been ignorant, whether they had enjoyed his ministrations or not, of the fact of his being apostle of the Gentiles. And if the Ephesian Christians had heard more par- ticularly of the matter of the revelation, as probably they had done, for Paul laboured two years among them, yet it would not be inconsistent with .usage to say, "If so be that ye have heard," as referring to a well-known fact, and as referring to it in the way of calling them to self-scrutiny as to the time when they heard ii and the person from u·h(YTTI, they heard it. L HIS APOSTLESHIP WAS OF Drvn.TE ABBANGEMENT, "Of the dispensation.',' It was not of his own ordering, but was the dispensation of God. It was arranged that he should be a minister to preach unto the Gentiles (vem. 7, 8). This is in accordance with his manner of viewing things in the first chapter. He who .has the administra- tion of the a!<>ns has also the appointment of all who serve. in his ,house, whether ordinary or extraordinary. . • II. Foa HIS APOSTLESHIP HE WAS FAVOURKD WITB nm KliOWLEDGE OI' ·A MYSTERY. "Of uia, grace of God which was given me to you-ward." He had no reason to look for such a 1:hing, but with a view to his acting as their apostle he was so favoured. L It = a u,ystery which wa& rom1nunicakd to him by revelation. "How that by re¥eiation wai; made known unto me the mystery." He did not receive it at second- hand, nor wai; it a discovery of his own; but it was immediately and· supernaturally communicated to him. That was guarantee for the knowledge being certain and thoroul!h. The fact revealed to him at his conversion, that he was to bear Christ's Name before the Gentiles, may only have given rise to perplexities as to the mode. We can think of the revelation referred to here as coming to him, not without preparation of reflection on his part, dwfog his retirement in Arabia. And it must have been o. great help to him in his perplexities to know confidently and timeously the principles on which God was to proceed with the Gentiles. 2. It was a mystery of his 1011,owled_qe of which he had already given them evidence. "As I wrote aforo in few words.'' 'l'he reference i.;; evidently to this same Epistle, especially to the first chapter, in which it is part of the "mystery " of summing up all things in Christ, that Gentiles are put on an equality with Jews in being made "heirs" on trusting in Christ. It was the mystery of Chrut, viz. as the great Reconciler. He had written in brief; but their inttr<:ot w0,.1;d make up fur his brevity, and he claims that, in what he had said, he had CII. Ill. 1-21.] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO 'rilE EPHESIANS. 127