“Bringing to light the Mystery”

Ephesians 3:1-12



Pastor Tom Johnson, January 5, 2014

Everybody loves a good mystery—so the saying goes. Mystery is what makes it so difficult for people to put a book down. The mystery and suspense in a movie makes it nearly impossible to leave the theatre and grab more popcorn. Not all of us deal with mystery in the same way. I was shocked when I first saw my wife open a new book—on the last page. She had to know how the book ended before she began the story. Some people ask during the movie what will happen next because they cannot wait for the resolution. There are many times that I cannot watch a football game or a baseball game because of the time. So, I record the game. In the meantime, I cringe when people will tell me the score or the outcome before I get a chance to sit down and watch it and discover it for myself. But if it is a good game, it is still fun to watch. Even reading the last page of a good book or knowing the outcome of a well scripted movie will not spoil the mystery. If the story is rich enough…if the characters are developed well…if the story builds in suspense, no one will be let down. Suspense and mystery will keeps us interested and asking questions.

In our reading from Ephesians, Paul repeatedly calls the message and story of Jesus “the mystery.” A mystery is something that once is hidden but then later revealed—an unknown truth that is later discovered. In this case, the mystery is Jesus. Before He was born, His identity as Messiah was hidden but later revealed beginning with His birth in Bethlehem. Even the truth of who He was, is, and will be was not fully discovered during His earthly ministry. When the mystery was first revealed to His mother Mary, she had a deep sense of the mystery of the eternal Word becoming flesh. And so she asked the angel, “How can these things be?” When the mystery was first revealed to Peter, he had a deep sense of the mystery of someone who already knew him fully. And so he asked Jesus to leave him alone. He said, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man.” And when the mystery was first revealed to Paul, he also had a deep sense of the mystery of the full extent of the power and authority of Jesus. After Paul is blinded by His light and knocked off his horse, he says, “Who are you, Lord?” For centuries, God’s people waited for the true Messiah. They hoped, prayed, and read the prophecies. But even the most faithful believers could not have known the fullness and glory of who Jesus would be.

And then the mystery was revealed. Jesus was born. Jesus was revealed in His baptism in the river Jordan. He revealed Himself in the miracles he performed. He revealed Himself in the messages He preached. He revealed Himself and the love of our heavenly Father when He died and rose again—breaking the power of sin, the devil, and even death itself. He reveals Himself when we receive His Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper giving us forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. For Paul, the great mystery in the Gospel that challenges his thinking was that God had a plan—not just for the Jewish people—but for all people. The Gentiles—the non-Jews—are also part of God’s plan. Paul is called to preach this universal message—as he says, “to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.” Paul’s call is to help this mystery come to light—to bring to light the mystery. And he believed that ministry would continue through the church. All of us are called to bring to light this mystery.

For many around us, the wonder and majesty of who Jesus is still remains a mystery. For many, the magnitude of the love God has for the world remains a mystery. It is our job to bring who Jesus is and God’s love to light. I believe that many people lose interest in Jesus, attending church, and the Bible when they lose this sense of mystery. We can kill the faith in ourselves and in others when we arrogantly claim to have this Christianity thing figured out. We bring to light this mystery with humility. You see Paul’s humility by calling himself “the least of all the saints.” We would do well to show humility by at least acknowledging that we don’t have Jesus and the Christian faith completely figured out. He is still called a mystery. There are still unanswered questions. But we have enough of a peak of the ending of the story to know there is a happy ending. Jesus will win. He will triumph over all evil. We will all have victory over death and the grave. We will get there. Exactly how and precisely when still remains a mystery. But, in the meantime, there is joy of discovery and joy along our journey.