LOVE WILL PREVAIL
Ephesians 1:15-23
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
This is a prayer for the church in Ephesus. In verses 15-19 Paul pays attention to the particular congregation in Ephesus, but then in verses 21-23, zooms out to the church universal to declare Jesus’ cosmic sovereignty. At first this shift feels jolting, a bit like turning a prayer into a sermon—or at least a theological comment. However, it makes more sense to me if I read the entire passage as a pastoral prayer. In a pastoral frame, the second half of the prayer becomes words of comfort to a counter cultural church. As such, it becomes a prayer directly applicable to our century.
Ephesus was a cosmopolitan port and housed the Temple of Artemis—one of the seven wonders of the world at the time. In contrast to this huge structure, the fledgling Christian church was a fringe group worshiping in homes. It would be roughly comparable to starting a house church a block from a mega church today.
Paul opens with the words: “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints.” Trusting in Jesus and showing regard for one another has been the bedrock of the Christian church and Paul recognizes their efforts. Then he begins to offer his hopes for this young church. He hopes for them: 1) that you may be given a spirit of wisdom and revelation as they come to know Jesus. So that, 2) with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you.
It requires a ‘spirit of wisdom and revelation’ to begin to know Jesus. Humans have sought all manner of Messiahs. It remains difficult to imagine that a crucified man could be honored. It remains difficult to imagine life outside our biology. But Jesus taught both. It is counter to our natural desire to survive to realize that pain, suffering and death are part of our existence. Jesus did not offer rescue; he offered presence. There is a massive disconnect between what we yearn for and what we are offered. Over and over we want God to serve us instead of seeking to serve him. Learning such truths requires wisdom and revelation beyond our natural thinking.
Paul uses a phrase I love—’with the eyes of your heart enlightened’ to describe a new way of knowing God and experiencing life. “For us who believe”, we are offered new “hope”, “riches of his glorious inheritance”, and the realization of “the immeasurable greatness of his power for us”. Translating these words into ordinary experience, Jesus offers an unlikely alternative to the life we know. The life Jesus offers is not based upon power, position or rank. His love is inclusive and, as such, stands in direct contrast to a world that measures people by what they have or who they can control. There is no room for coercion or revenge in Jesus’ love. And the promised inheritance is the knowledge that a life of love, as Jesus loved, can not be destroyed. Any other measure of life will end with our life.
On the cross, Jesus demonstrated that “helplessness is the price of helping”. That is just crazy in a survival of the fittest world. But learning that Jesus’ love always left room for disbelief, ridicule and rejection is transformative. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer, Jesus refused to defend himself before Pilate, He ignored social conventions by loving the person in front of him. He was obedient to the spirit of the law and refused to accept obedience to human understandings of purity as conditions of acceptance. This is the Good News. But it is also terrifying news. Jesus was humiliated, rejected and crucified for his efforts.
Disciples of every age need the encouragement that Paul provides. Though crucified, Jesus lives. His way is God’s way. His way is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.” It is the promise that love will prevail in the harshest of conditions and love will prevail in every age.
I was asked in our Faith in Real Life discussion ‘how is it possible to hold onto love in an age where raw power is the measure and the tool to ridicule and retaliate?’ Realistically, we may not live long enough to see the arc of history bending toward justice. But this is not a new problem. The Jews were slaves for four hundred years. Most did not see relief. Millions of people have been killed in genocides—which occur in every generation. Human ways of defining life fail but even in such desperate circumstances, there is also a history of human compassion and regard. All we can do is what we can do.
My wife sent me this non biblical, but Christian, quote which expresses our calling quite simply: “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” J.R.R. Tolkien
We must stay true to what the eyes of our hearts teach us in Jesus. We must love as best we can in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. That is the way the truth and the light. That is Life everlasting.
Trust, with the early Ephesians, that “Love will prevail” so that we can hold on to the faith that our love matters. Let it be so.
