Today’s scripture: Ephesians 3:1-13 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (John Seksay):
In today’s reading, Paul was in trouble with the “in” crowd. Paul was a Christian of Jewish heritage, as were all of the original apostles of Christ. After all, one needed the context of Jewish law and life to understand the significance of the actions of this very complex carpenter/prophet/messiah called Jesus. Ever since the period of the Exodus from Egypt, being Jewish had two critical components: being born to Jewish parents, and imprinting their beliefs and culture onto your life and family by following the law and the prophets. If the divine covenant was with Abraham, then the fruit of that covenant belonged solely to Abraham’s faithful heirs. So only those of proper Jewish heritage could understand the context and be admitted to this new faith — right?
By his own experience, Paul knew this was wrong. Paul was neither convinced nor converted by any fellow Jew of the Christian persuasion. He had a very different conversion experience — one that made him realize that Christianity was not some theological or intellectual argument to be settled among the Jews themselves. It could be justifiably argued that Jesus focused first on the faithful children of Abraham because of their long history with God, but Jesus also engaged with sinners, Samaritans, and gentiles in the course of his ministry. Jesus acknowledged and honored true faith — whether it be seen in a devout Jewish scholar, a tax collector, a Samaritan woman, or a Roman centurion! Paul’s conversion experience made this point much clearer for him. The teachings of Jesus were a shared blessing and new covenant for all who responded to the call of the Messiah and His message!
Thought for the day: Faith, even when it is part of a heritage, is still a gift rather than a privilege. The future of the seed often lies with the soil it rest on.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.