Sharers in the Promise

Introduction

In this study we are going to focus on one verse from Ephesians:

“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 3: 6

I have written a number of studies on Ephesians, and here we are going to focus on this one verse and what it means for us today.

There are a couple of terms here we should define to make sure we are on the same page for this study.

1. Israel - this is God's chosen people, His holy nation. The story of this people, the Jewish people, can be traced through the Old Testament. It is a story of promise, love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, triumph, disobedience, disappointment, capture, and rescue. A fascinating story that flows from Abraham onwards, a story which Paul knows well.

2. Gentiles - everyone else. Israel is the Jewish nation, this is all who do not belong to that group, all those who do not draw their descent from Abraham.

Already we see the power of what Paul is saying in this verse, he is saying that the mystery that has now been revealed (verse 5) is that these two groups are now joined together as one body. Those who could not belong, who do not have the “right ancestry” are now brought in, united with those who have the ancestral claim. Paul is saying it is about Jesus Christ, and no longer about ancestry.

The focus for us, in this study, is the promise, how we see this sharing worked out through Jesus, and what that means for us today.

The Promise

To understand what it means to share in the promise, we must understand the promise. Let’s go back to the beginning.

“I will make you int a great nation and I will bless you;

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12: 2-3

This is the initial call of Abram, before God changes his name to Abraham. The story of Abram, or Abraham, is one that is full of mystery, mistakes and forgiveness, grace and mercy, disappointment and triumph. It is a story of someone trying to follow God. I encourage you to read it. For now, the important thing to realise is that this promise is repeated in chapters 14, 15, and 17. It is in chapter 17 that God changes Abram’s name to Abraham.

“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”

Genesis 17: 6-7

Again we see in here the blessing that God is promising Abraham, and the blessing Abraham and his descendants are to the world. The nations that are to come from Abraham are supposed to be Godly nations, people of service and love. Such nations would surely be a blessing.

In this we see that the promise Paul is talking about all Jesus’s followers sharing is a promise of receiving blessing and a call to be a blessing. In following Jesus you are joined to the descendants of Abraham, joined in the call to be a blessing.

Personal Question

• Give thanks to God for the blessing He has given - the blessing of drawing you into this promise.

• How could you, today or across this week, be a blessing to someone?

Jesus Declares and Demonstrates

The story of Israel is traced through the Old Testament, eventually finding fulfilment in Jesus. Let’s now look at some of the moments in Jesus’ life that speak of God opening up His family and welcoming all who will believe.

The Gospel of Mark records many miracles, and they are almost exclusively amongst the Jewish people, in Jewish towns, villages, and cities. There are a couple of notable exceptions.

First, in Mark 5 we read of the healing of the demon possessed man.

“They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.”

Mark 5: 1

This places Jesus and His disciples in an area known as The Decapolis. This is a non-Jewish area, a Gentile area. Here Jesus brings freedom and new life to man held captive by many demons.

What is even more interesting, for our purposes, is what Jesus says to the man once he is free.

“As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him, Jesus said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you,” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”

Mark 5: 18-20

One of the features of Mark is known as the secrecy motive. That is, every time Jesus heals someone he tells them not to tell anyone. That is true of all bar one healing amongst the Jewish people (the exception is blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10). Yet in this area, amongst the Gentiles, the man is told to spread the word.

This shows us that Jesus is opening up God’s Kingdom, He is removing the dividing walls. This is something we see in John’s Gospel too.

In John 4 Jesus engages with the Samaritan woman, and we are told in that account that Jews and Samaritans don’t mix. Yet Jesus is there bringing life, and hope, and freedom. Jesus is demonstrating what it is like when the walls of hostility come down. This is also the first time in John that Jesus says who He is, John 4: 25-26.

Back in Mark, we read of the Syrophoenecian Woman in chapter 7. This encounter occurs in Tyre and Sidon, not places Israelites lived. Jesus is once again moving beyond the Jewish people and into the Gentile world. Mark is telling us that Jesus is starting to fulfil the Abrahamic covenant, showing us that Jesus is the blessing to all nations that was promised.

Consider also Jesus’ teaching in John.

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them in also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

John 10: 16

Here Jesus is speaking of opening up the family, welcoming others in. It is no longer just about those of the “right ancestry”, it is now about those who hear and follow Jesus, those who know His voice and obey.

With the miracles recorded in Mark and the teaching recorded in John we see that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant - the promise to make Abraham a great nation. The promise that comes with a blessing and a responsibility. Through Jesus we can all entire this family and enter this promise.

Personal Question

• Thank Jesus for His work of bringing you into His family and making you a sharer in this promise.

• Ask for guidance as you seek to be a blessing to the world around you.

Back to Ephesians

Having looked at the Abrahamic covenant, and the way Jesus fulfils this promise let’s go back to Ephesians.

“Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 3: 2-6

It’s important to grasp a little about who Paul is at this point. He was a devout, God fearing Jew, who Jesus had commissioned directly to take the good news to the Gentiles (see Acts 9). This commissioning is a direct turn around from the way Paul lived out his observance of the law. It is, as he says here, an act of grace. Note that this grace is given to Paul for Paul to give away, much like the promise given to Abraham was one of blessings that he might be a blessing.

We also see here that it is through Jesus Christ that this mystery is revealed. Paul, with full understanding of the original promise, and with a Jewish expectation of how that would be fulfilled, is now declaring that it is fulfilled in Jesus. That fulfilment is in the opening up of God’s family, it is in making the Gentiles co-heirs with Israel, joining both sides together through Jesus.

The way of belonging is no longer ancestry, it is no longer strict adherence to the law. Jesus Christ is the only way to belong. This is the mystery, this is the good news. Christianity is not about the rules, it’s not about your heritage, it’s not about working hard to earn your place. Christianity is essentially a good news declaration. That news, as Paul puts it here, is that all are sharers of the promise that was given to Abraham, all are welcomed in, and through Jesus there is now one body, one family, one chosen people of God and it can include all of us.

What should our response be?

We should work for unity in the body, it is in unity that the Church will be a blessing to those around us.

Personal Question

• Thank God for the grace you have received, and ask how you can share that grace with others.

• How can you work for unity within your local church?