Ephesians 3:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"When you read," he says, "you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ." That is, you can learn how I understood and comprehended either the revelation of God in general, or specifically the truth that He, the Son, sits at the right hand of the Father.

I wrote, he says, not as much as was required, but according to your strength and capacity. From this you can perceive and understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. That means how I understood the mystery of Christ.

Or it means how I understood that He sits at the right hand of the Father and has seated us with Himself; that in Himself He created the two into one new man; and the rest that belongs to the mystery.

Understand, then, the dignity of my insight from the fact that God revealed so much to me. That this is a sign of great honor, hear this: "He has not dealt so with any other nation" (Ps 147:20), namely, that He declared His statutes and judgments to Israel (Ps 147:19).

Therefore, if the Prophet who cries out is truly truthful, "Who has known the mind of the Lord?" (Is 40:13), then it is clear that none of the created knows the divine will. When this is said of men, I think everyone, pas tis, will agree.

But let us also consider, if you wish, the holy powers in heaven, to see whether they are deprived of such honor.

Let us take the Angel described in the book of Zechariah, praying and saying: "O Lord Almighty, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which You have been angry these seventy years?" (Zech 1:12).

If he knew this, why did he approach and ask to learn it? It is clear that he does not know.

Paul indicates that the mystery of God was made known to him through revelation, concerning which he wrote briefly above. That is, he observed due measure, according to their capacity to understand the Apostle's wisdom concerning the mystery of Christ.

The Apostle means to say: "Having learned of this calling of yours, and having come to know exactly who you are, and how and to what you have been called, I ask and implore the God of all to establish you in the faith and grant you the salvation that flows from faith."

But he inserts very much into this thought, again indicating the greatness of the benefaction.

He recounts how he himself was called, how he was counted worthy of divine grace, and how he was appointed preacher of the Gentiles. By this he makes known that it is most fitting for him to preach.

He is not appropriating another's work, but fulfilling what was commanded.

Paul said that grace was given to him, but that it was given through revelation. This passage can be understood to mean that one may become a Christian through revelation, and above all through revelation.

Yet, since the power of God gives its grace in whatever ways it chooses, we must hold that the lawful order for fulfilling the commandment of salvation is this: a man is reborn by water and the Spirit, and in this way acquires the Spirit of Christ.

But this is accomplished by men and through men. What happened to Paul happened by the grace of God and through revelation.

Although we believe that he alone deserved this, nevertheless, as has been said, divine revelation can be accomplished by the action of God's grace in this or in another similar manner.

"To understand my insight into the mystery of Christ." From this Epistle itself the Ephesians could see how the Apostle Paul understands and explains to them the mystery of the divine economy of God.

The hiddenness of the mystery of the calling of the Gentiles (Eph 3:1-13).

Eph 3:1-7. The apostolic instruction to the Ephesians concerning this hiddenness may be set forth briefly in the Apostle's own words.

The mystery of the "divine economy of the grace of God" concerning the Gentiles, "given to me for you" (Eph 3:2), and "made known to me by revelation" (Eph 3:3), about which "I wrote before briefly. " that is, in chapters 1 and 2, and for which "I, Paul, became a prisoner of Jesus Christ" (Eph 3:1), you "can perceive by reading" my epistle and now understand from my words (Eph 3:4).

But this mystery "was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to His holy Apostles and Prophets by the Holy Spirit," and so on (Eph 3:4-7).

Stirring the Ephesians to a firm remembrance of the work of salvation accomplished by God for them, the Apostle also points to his own participation in this work according to God's special dispensation.

He first mentions his chains, so that they would see nothing humiliating in them. On the contrary, they should see something glorious, especially for themselves, since this proves the greatness of the care shown for them.

Directing attention to Paul's election to preach to the Gentiles, Saint John Chrysostom says: "The Apostle rightly called this a dispensation. Truly, it was a great dispensation when the one who could not be persuaded by any means was called from above by the words: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? (Acts 9:4)."

Keeping in mind that his epistle would be read not only among the Ephesians, who knew him well, but also in the neighboring churches, the Apostle considers it necessary to give some principal information about the task he is to fulfill toward the Gentiles.

Since he intends to offer them moral instruction, the Apostle seeks to raise his authority in the eyes of Christians who had not heard him. He reminds them of the extraordinary manifestation of grace that took place at his conversion to Christ, of which they had certainly heard.

But what they know by report about the special revelation given to Paul, they can confirm for themselves by carefully reading what the Apostle briefly set forth at the beginning of the epistle.

"By which," pros ho, means: judging by this, by what has been written, you can conclude how definite and full my understanding of the mystery of Christ is.

Although little has been written, it is sufficient for you to draw such a conclusion about the worth of my knowledge of the mystery. And who among those who read would not draw such a conclusion?

But why this conclusion itself? The Apostle did not wish to display his own wisdom. Rather, he wished to suggest this to them: when you read what has been written, you cannot fail to see how clear and definite it all is, and at the same time how exalted and all-embracing.

Could I have grasped all this by myself? If, by the finger of God and according to God's revelation, I know this, then "the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Mt 12:28).