For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles – (2) if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, (3) how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery……(5) which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets;  (6) that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel

The letter to the Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul.  He wrote this while in prison in Rome to assure the faithful in Ephesus that his suffering was for the gospel and he wrote that he considered it a privilege to endure this suffering for the glory of God and for the future glory of the faithful.  In our verses today, Paul writes of a mystery which he calls the mystery of Christ which is now revealed.  This revelation was that in Christ, Jews and Gentiles alike are to be members of Christ’s church and there would be no distinction between them.

Paul was concerned about the impact his imprisonment might have on his readers.  Some sought to capitalize on this making it appear that Paul’s gospel was wrong and God was punishing him.  Paul assures his readers that he was called by God to be a preacher of the Gospel.  Broadly speaking it was the ministry of a mystery about salvation of sinful man, accomplished by the life, death and resurrection of Christ.  What was new and unexpected – utterly unexpected – was that Jews and Gentiles would be equal in the new man and the new Church.  This was not a welcome thought for the Jews.  God promised that His blessing would come through the “seed” of Abraham – Paul is saying that the promised seed was not referring to all Jews in general but one particular Jew – Jesus Christ.  Judaism thought/thinks that salvation was the automatic possession of all Jews.  The Jews also believed that only the Gentiles who became Jews were to be saved – they looked down on Pagans.

Paul said that “both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin….There is none righteous; not even one.”  Salvation is through faith in the completed works of Christ and is an unearned gift of God.  Salvation is not the possession of the Jews – it is the possession of God accomplished by God through the cross of Jesus Christ.  God is the One who will bestow salvation upon anyone He chooses, by grace.  Christ came as Messiah to Jews and Gentiles.  The reconciiation of both in Christ and in His church is the mystery God has revealed.