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PAUL’S MASTERPIECE
- an introduction to Ephesians

Earlier this month Linda and I received a letter from Rachel Chesley. She and her husband, Bill, are Wycliffe Bible translators in Chad. As we read the letter it was obvious, even without flipping it over to see who wrote it, that it was from the Chesley’s. Of course, the return address on the envelope had already informed us that the letter was from Bill and Rachel. The letter reveals that the sender, Rachel, obviously knows more than a little bit about our lives. She also knows that we are well-acquainted with her family and freely shares recent events with us.

Ten years from now, should we still have this letter, for whatever reasons, we would have no doubt that is was a letter from Rachel Chesley. The author identified herself as “Rachel for the Chesleys” and the personal information within the body of the letter gives no reason to believe otherwise.

Not so, with the letter to the Ephesians. As the recipients unrolled the scroll they noted immediately that it was from Paul for the first few lines read:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

But, after reading the letter, they weren’t entirely convinced that is was from Paul. In fact, for reasons we will discuss later, they weren’t even sure that it was meant for them. Yes, everyone agreed it was a magnificent letter but they disagreed on authorship and whether or not they were the intended recipients.

No, a brawl didn’t break out in Ephesus on the day the scroll was received, that is, a brawl didn’t break out in regards to the scroll, but words have been flying back and forth over these two issues, authorship and intended recipients, for a good many years.
As to whether or not Paul was indeed the author, as stated, there are a number of arguments against it. Most of them focus on rather fine points such as supposed theological discrepancies between this letter and, say, the letter to the Romans. For example, not once does this letter use the highly theological, and very pauline, word “justification.” But, that is not what the original recipients noticed about the letter.
What the original recipients noticed is that Paul, if that is who wrote the letter, didn’t greet them personally. In fact, v. 15 of chapter one, suggest that he didn’t even know them personally.

It reads: “ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you (all), remembering you (all) in my prayers.”
You all? We must admit that this “you all” doesn’t sound like Paul knew his recipients very well. He had heard about their faith, about their love for one another, but it appears he didn’t know them personally. While v. 15 could be overlooked, what cannot be ignored is that no where in the letter, neither at the beginning nor at the end, does Paul greet particular individuals.

In most of Paul’s letters he greets and/or admonishes various individuals. In Philippians he pleaded with Euodia (Odious) and Syntyche (Stinking) to agree with each other in the Lord. In Colossians he greeted Nympha and the small group that was meeting in her home. He also admonished Archippus to “complete the work” he had received from the Lord.

In I Corinthians he expressed thanks for the arrival of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus for they refreshed his spirit. And, as you probably know, in the closing chapter of the letter to the church in Rome, he greeted everyone from Priscilla and Aquila to Urbanus and appeared to have hit everyone in-between with the exception of names starting with V, W, X, Y, and Z. Yes, he even used Q, for he sent greetings from Quartus who was evidently headquartered in Rome. But, in this letter to the Ephesians, if they are indeed the recipients, nary a name within the local church is mentioned by Paul. No one is commended, admonished, greeted, or encouraged to persevere. Surely, if Paul was indeed the author, someone at Ephesus would have been greeted or admonished.

Furthermore, Paul normally spent much of his energy answering questions that were haunting the local church or addressing issues that needed to be settled. The letter to the church in Galatia addressed our freedom in Christ. The letter to the Philippians, while joyful, warned the believers of selfish ambition and pride, both of which could lead to divisiveness. The first letter to the Thessalonians gave space to and reassurance of the second coming of Christ. The second letter focused its attention on what to do in the last days. And, as you know, the two letters to the church in Corinth, well they addressed more problems than all of us have put together!

Yet, if someone asked us what the problem was in the church at Ephesus we would have to refer them to the book of Revelation, chapter two, verse four. Sure, we could list some generic problems such as fathers exasperating their children, employees failing to have respect for their employer, employers being harsh with employees, and/or relationship issues between husband and wife. But, generic problems are just that – generic. They weren’t peculiar to the church at Ephesus. For, in fact, this letter doesn’t suggest that the church at Ephesus was having any particular problem.
Then too, somewhat based on the absence of any reference to problems within the church, some wonder whether or not the letter was even addressed to the Ephesians. The lack of any reference to issues that needed to be settled coupled with the fact that some of the early manuscripts do not have the words “in Ephesus” prompt some to speculate that the church at Ephesus was not meant to be the recipient.

Those who suggest that the Ephesians were not the recipients fall into two primary camps. In the first camp we have those who maintain that the recipient was the church at Laodicea. They arrived at this conclusion by comparing some closing remarks in Ephesians with those in Colossians. In Ephesians 6:21 - 22 we read: Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.

Now compare these two verses with Colossians 4:7 - 8
Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.

It’s clear that Tychicus was the postman for both letters. The similarity in these two verses, as you can see, is remarkable. So much so, that it is easy to imagine the two being written during the same week from the same cell. Now if you’ll drop down to v. 16 of Colossians we see what for some is the “foundation & clincher” in their argument that the letter to the Ephesians was really meant for the Laodiceans.
We read:
16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
Case closed! Of course, it takes a bit of a leap to go from “the letter from Laodicea” to “the letter that Paul wrote to Laodicea.” And it takes another leap to go from “the letter that Paul wrote to Laodicea” to “the letter that Paul wrote to Laodicea but was mistakenly delivered to Ephesus.” And everyone knows that two leaps in the wrong direction can land you in a whole lot of trouble!

The other camp maintains that this is a circular letter intended for the seven churches of the Apocalypse. They maintain that a blank space was left in the first verse for each church to fill in its own name. And by some quirk in history, or by archeologist who haven’t dug deep enough, the only manuscripts that we have with the blank space filled in are those with the words “in Ephesus.”
The real objection to this hypothesis is found in II Corinthians 1:1b where we read: To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia –
Another example is found in Galatians 1:2b where we read: To the churches in Galatia – Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
If Paul had meant it to be a circular letter he could have made that quite clear just by saying: To the church of God in Ephesians, together with all the saints throughout Asia Minor. Or, by saying: To the churches in Asia Minor.

So if it’s a personal letter from Paul to the church at Ephesus, why doesn’t it have all the characteristics of a personal letter? Why doesn’t Paul greet those he obviously knew well, or at least some of them, by name? Why doesn’t he address some of the internal problems at Ephesus?
There is a very simple explanation for the absence of these qualities. It is not that Paul wasn’t well-acquainted with the members of the church at Ephesus. Nor was it because Ephesus was free of problems. It is because this letter is not about the Ephesian believers except in the sense that it is about all believers. Nor is this letter about issues within the church. It is not about the Ephesian believers, nor is it about the church except in the sense that the church is about what God is doing in the world.

This letter is not about any particular person or any particular church. It is about God’s saving work and under that umbrella it is about every person, every family, and every church that makes up the church universal.
This letter is Paul’s masterpiece. It is his symphony. It is doctrine set to music that takes us from “before the creation of the world (1:4)” to “when the times will have reached their fulfillment(1:10)” Samuel Taylor Coleridge said it was “the divinest composition of man.” And William Barclay called it “the Queen of the Epistles.”

It is not like the other letters because it is not just another letter. It is the one letter that that shows how God is tirelessly bringing everything and everyone together. And, in the scheme of all things devised from eternity past, it shows us how we can contribute to His saving work!

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