To appreciate just how good the Good News is, we need to remember just how bad he bad news is. Looking back from where we are now to where we were before gives us perspective. It gives us context.
Here Paul encourages every follower of Jesus who is not Jewish to think back to their lives BC: Before Christ.
"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:11-12).
He goes out of the way to let his Ephesian friends know just how bad the bad news was. Separated. Alienated. Strangers. No hope. Without God.
Here Paul encourages every follower of Jesus who is not Jewish to think back to their lives BC: Before Christ.
"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:11-12).
He goes out of the way to let his Ephesian friends know just how bad the bad news was. Separated. Alienated. Strangers. No hope. Without God.
If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.
Paul asks the folks in Ephesus to think back to their situation before they heard about Jesus. This was one of the great port cities of the ancient world. It was a huge melting pot of cultures, nationalities, races and religions.
Only a handful of folks there had heard about the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee. But that all changed when the Apostle Paul hit town during his third world tour (Acts 19).
The apostle's first move was always to start by reaching out to local Jews. It made sense since they already were expecting Messiah. That's what he did in Ephesus (Acts 19:8).
While his teaching in the local synagogue resulted in a few folks accepting Jesus as the long-awaited Savior of Israel, some other Jews began causing Paul a boatload of trouble (Acts 19:9).
So he took his act across town to the Hall of Tyrannus where God used him to reach lots of Jews and Gentiles over the next two years (Acts 19:9-10).
Paul's three-year gig in Ephesus was loaded with miracles, exorcisms, bonfires and riots. All because God had reached out to non-Jews through Jesus.
Only a handful of folks there had heard about the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee. But that all changed when the Apostle Paul hit town during his third world tour (Acts 19).
The apostle's first move was always to start by reaching out to local Jews. It made sense since they already were expecting Messiah. That's what he did in Ephesus (Acts 19:8).
While his teaching in the local synagogue resulted in a few folks accepting Jesus as the long-awaited Savior of Israel, some other Jews began causing Paul a boatload of trouble (Acts 19:9).
So he took his act across town to the Hall of Tyrannus where God used him to reach lots of Jews and Gentiles over the next two years (Acts 19:9-10).
Paul's three-year gig in Ephesus was loaded with miracles, exorcisms, bonfires and riots. All because God had reached out to non-Jews through Jesus.
Twice, Paul tells the Ephesians to "remember" (v11, 12). This is the Greek verb mnemoneuo/μνεμονευω, which means to call to mind, hold in memory or keep thinking about something.
It's the idea of recalling info from memory without necessarily having forgotten it. He wants his readers to think back on just where they've come from.
You can't really know where you are until you remember where you've been. And here he asks them to remember two things. First, remember you're not Jewish. Second, remember you had no hope.
It's the idea of recalling info from memory without necessarily having forgotten it. He wants his readers to think back on just where they've come from.
You can't really know where you are until you remember where you've been. And here he asks them to remember two things. First, remember you're not Jewish. Second, remember you had no hope.
If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.
The apostle reminds the Ephesians that before Jesus they were socially separated from Jews. They were "Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision" (v11).
The Hebrews are God's chosen people. They arrogantly considered non-Jews to be outcasts and disgusting. There were several ways to distinguish Jews from Gentiles. But the biggie was circumcision.
Way back when God reached out to Abraham and got this whole thing started, He told him to cut off the foreskin of every male baby as a sign of God's promise (Gen 17:11).
Yahweh's promise? An eternal covenant to give Abe's descendants land, to be their God and ultimately to bless all the nations of the earth (Gen 17:7-8; 18:18).
Yeah, don't miss that last one. A blessing to all nations. There's just one little problem. Jews hated Gentiles. And Gentiles returned the favor.
On the rare occasions that a non-Jew wanted to follow the God of Israel, they had to convert to Judaism. If you were a dude, that included a, shall we say, "delicate" procedure.
The Hebrews are God's chosen people. They arrogantly considered non-Jews to be outcasts and disgusting. There were several ways to distinguish Jews from Gentiles. But the biggie was circumcision.
Way back when God reached out to Abraham and got this whole thing started, He told him to cut off the foreskin of every male baby as a sign of God's promise (Gen 17:11).
Yahweh's promise? An eternal covenant to give Abe's descendants land, to be their God and ultimately to bless all the nations of the earth (Gen 17:7-8; 18:18).
Yeah, don't miss that last one. A blessing to all nations. There's just one little problem. Jews hated Gentiles. And Gentiles returned the favor.
On the rare occasions that a non-Jew wanted to follow the God of Israel, they had to convert to Judaism. If you were a dude, that included a, shall we say, "delicate" procedure.
Paul also wants the Ephesians to "remember that you were at the time separated from Christ" (v12). Christ is a NT term that's equivalent to Messiah in the OT.
As Gentiles, God's Messiah meant absolutely nothing to them. According to the Jews, the long-awaited One was coming back to fulfill all of the promises God made to His chosen people through Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets. Separated.
As Gentiles, God's Messiah meant absolutely nothing to them. According to the Jews, the long-awaited One was coming back to fulfill all of the promises God made to His chosen people through Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets. Separated.
If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.
Before Christ, non-Jews were "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel" (v12). They had no part of the nation of Israel.
No part of their rich heritage. No part of their future. No part of their blessings. No part of their culture of community. No part of their unique kingdom ruled by God their King.
No part of their rich heritage. No part of their future. No part of their blessings. No part of their culture of community. No part of their unique kingdom ruled by God their King.
If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.
If that's not bad enough, the apostle reminds them that as non-Jews they were "strangers to the covenants of promise" (v12).
Covenants. These are God's rock solid promises to bless His people. Land. Seed. Blessing. One who would one day sit on the throne of David for eternity (2Sam 7).
Turning rock-hard hearts soft, obedient ones (Ezek 36:25-28; 37:26). And every one of these is all wrapped up in the promised Messiah. He's coming back to make everything right.
Covenants. These are God's rock solid promises to bless His people. Land. Seed. Blessing. One who would one day sit on the throne of David for eternity (2Sam 7).
Turning rock-hard hearts soft, obedient ones (Ezek 36:25-28; 37:26). And every one of these is all wrapped up in the promised Messiah. He's coming back to make everything right.
If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.
Paul lets the Ephesians know that if their situation wasn't desperate enough, they were also "having no hope and without God in the world" (v12). Not a little bit of hope. None. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Nada.
Find all the hope in the world and take it away. Then you'll have the same hope as the Ephesian Gentiles before Jesus. No hope. No future. No promises.
They also faced a fallen world without God. Before hearing about Jesus, these Gentiles worshiped an endless parade of idols and false gods.
Ephesus had a huge temple to the Greek god Artemis. One of the huge controversies in the city was the impact the Gospel had on temple business (Acts 19:23-27).
Once these folks heard about Jesus from Paul, it turned Ephesus upside down. That's what happens when Jesus let the outsiders in.
Find all the hope in the world and take it away. Then you'll have the same hope as the Ephesian Gentiles before Jesus. No hope. No future. No promises.
They also faced a fallen world without God. Before hearing about Jesus, these Gentiles worshiped an endless parade of idols and false gods.
Ephesus had a huge temple to the Greek god Artemis. One of the huge controversies in the city was the impact the Gospel had on temple business (Acts 19:23-27).
Once these folks heard about Jesus from Paul, it turned Ephesus upside down. That's what happens when Jesus let the outsiders in.
Two thousand years later, it's VERY hard to wrap our brains around what a big deal this was. It helps if we read the NT through the filter of the early church's "Gentile problem."
Jewish Christians wrestled with what to do with all these non-Jews who God was clearly saving. Many Jews demanded that they must become Jews first.
In Acts 15, Paul and others successfully argued that if God is bringing them into the family, who are we to stop them?
Jewish Christians wrestled with what to do with all these non-Jews who God was clearly saving. Many Jews demanded that they must become Jews first.
In Acts 15, Paul and others successfully argued that if God is bringing them into the family, who are we to stop them?
I think verses like these are INCREDIBLY important for us non-Jews to keep in mind too.
We weren't originally invited to the party. We weren't originally part of God's chosen people. We weren't originally part of any covenant promise.
But that all changed with Jesus. That all changed at Calvary. That all changed with the empty tomb.
We weren't originally invited to the party. We weren't originally part of God's chosen people. We weren't originally part of any covenant promise.
But that all changed with Jesus. That all changed at Calvary. That all changed with the empty tomb.
If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd still be on the outside looking in.
©2013
Jay Jennings
©2013
Jay Jennings
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