From the Daily Lectionary for Friday and Saturday in the Sixth Week of Easter (Feast of the Ascension)
Ephesians 2:11-22
So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
On the road again with Paul! Reflection today upon our reading from Ephesians requires a little historical background. What incredibly long and difficult journeys this man Paul made to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea to spread the news of Christ to others, mainly but not exclusively to the Gentiles. He made three missionary journeys and over the years traveled 6,900 miles, and mostly on foot, often walking twenty miles or so each day! Think about that! We are familiar with the troubles he encountered, including beatings and imprisonment. To say the least, it was not an easy task. The town of Ephesus is located in Asia Minor—present day western Turkey—on the coast across the Aegean Sea from Athens, Greece. It was a capital city and a leading commercial center of a Roman province. The book of Acts tells us that Paul paid a brief visit to Ephesus during his second missionary journey, and returned with Timothy on his third journey to spend between two and three years there. It was after leaving Ephesus that he returned to Jerusalem where he was arrested and imprisoned, and ultimately taken to Rome where he was put to death. Getting back to this writing called Ephesians, you may be surprised that Paul probably did not even write it, and that the letter may not have even been addressed to the Ephesians to begin with. Notice that unlike the authentic letters of Paul, for instance 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians, the author is not addressing any specific problems to a specific congregation. It was more likely a sermon sent to a group of churches, and it has been called a “literary sibling” to epistle Colossians because it is so similar in style, wording, and theology. Ephesians along with Colossians and 2 Thessalonians are referred to as “deutero-Pauline” letters because they have a secondary standing within Paul’s works, because of the uncertainty of authenticity of his authorship. So who did write Ephesians? Probably a later admirer of Paul who wrote it in the late first century three or four decades after Paul’s death in order to continue Paul’s legacy and to enhance his own credibility.
Having said all that, and regardless of who wrote it, let’s see what’s in it. Two things come to mind. First, it is a letter of inclusivity. It offers “full membership” into the universal church to the Gentiles who before Christ had been excluded from membership in God’s Kingdom, “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” However, because Christ “has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us,” the Gentiles are no longer strangers but now citizens and members of the one household of God. The author is trying to bring the Gentiles and the Jews together into the one body of Christ. This is a highly idealized view of the Church, but one which must have been especially appealing to the Gentiles who before Paul had been left out. The second message in this letter or sermon is a theological one. Remember that Paul in his undisputed letters is clear that the resurrection and salvation of believers has not yet happened. It will only happen on the day of judgment when Jesus returns, the parousia. This idea is quite different than that of the author of Ephesians, for whom the second coming takes on less significance. For this author salvation has already taken place. “But God…, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:5-6). This idea of salvation in the present is referred to as realized eschatology, and it is clearly expressed in Ephesians, as well as Colossians: “When you were raised with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12).
What is the relevance of all this for us today? First, this idea of inclusivity is as we’ve heard the expression “the gospel truth.” Jesus talks about it all the time. Therein lies the beauty and the calling to care for those “left out” of our society, for those in poverty and the immigrants and minority groups and those physically and mentally challenged and those isolated and alone and those bullied into thinking that they have no worth. Imagine this scenario: The leader of our country calls for a televised message to the country, and in it he seeks to unite us in this current time of suffering from the pandemic, offering words of compassion and hope and yes, even love, for all those in pain. He says he is a part of and shares in this pain and suffering, and that he will do everything within his power to walk through it with us. Can you imagine an all-inclusive unifying message like this? Imagine the power of such healing words. Imagine! There was a time when we had such leadership. What else is relevant about this scripture? I think it provides great comfort to know that the Kingdom of God is available to everyone, and that it is possible to experience it here and now, in our present-day lives. The Kingdom is here in our lives on earth as well as in our lives after we have died, wherever that might be and whatever that might look like. Death is part of life, and the beauty of the paschal mystery is that in it Jesus reveals that death is not the end! Life continues. I think the author of Ephesians, whoever it was, got it right!
Bob Donnell
Collect of the Reign of Christ (BCP p.254)
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
