Before We Get into Our of Study Ephesians
It’s been a busy week. Planning for the bowl of supers, there was a lot to prepare. I am in no way a true blue sports fan, however I enjoy one good game a year and I love a good party so my beloved and I prepared a place for our friends to come cheer their team.
This has nothing to do with Bible Study exactly, though I do believe enjoying a good time is mimicking our Dad who invented a good time and whose son came to earth and also enjoyed good times with friends. He was even generous when he went to someone else’s party with what he “brought”.
Our party with friends to watch the bowl of supers was a joy and delight. Jokes were made. Laughter ensued. Cheering occurred. Tears were fought back. Commentary was interesting and eerily spot on.
Great fun! I hope you had a chance this week to enjoy some sort of joy and delight with friends and family because God designed us for both work AND for play.
Did you have a fun weekend? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Let’s Get Back to Ephesians
As I approach a passage of scripture, sometimes I look it over and start diving into words and cross references. In Ephesians 2:11-22, it appears that there are a number of repeated words and phrases. Since repeated words indicate Paul’s focus, logically a student of the Word should turn attention to them.
My Process
Sticky notes are my friends. Particularly when space becomes a commodity on my observation worksheet. Notice at my desk that I have them spread out and even different colors to help me stay organized.
Plus, it never hurts to have beautiful coffee in a beautiful mug to aid us in our study.
Remembering our observations in our last Bite that there were a lot of repeated words, I am starting there in my process of interpreting. If you’re like me, time is precious, so focusing on Paul’s main points in Ephesians makes for time optimization in our study efforts.
Our Plan in Study
In our last Bite we had these two lists:
Repeated Words
Remember (Ephesians 2:11, 12)
Strangers (Ephesians 2:11, 19)
Peace (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 17)
Repeated Opposites
Far off/near (Ephesians 2:13, 17)
Peace/hostility (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 17)
Jotting notes to myself to have a direction, here are those stickies up close.
Repeated Words and Associated Terms
As Paul wrote through his thoughts, he returned to the remember like we discussed in Bites 28 and 29. On my sticky note I wrote some synonyms Paul used to describe what the recipients looked like as pre-believers. (These notes I’m typing are on the stickies, I want to make sure you can read them.)
Remember
- They were called uncircumcised (Ephesians 2:11)
- They were separated (Ephesians 2:12)
- They were alienated (Ephesians 2:12)
- They were strangers (Ephesians 2:12)
Paul’s call to remember lead me to see the next item on my repeated word list which was strangers. At this juncture, we are making our plan or outline for our study, so we aren’t examining the words that are tied together. That will come when we zero in on each point of our outline.
However, when I saw this repeated word strangers, I did observe and note other descriptors associated.
Strangers (were, are not now)
- Aliens vs citizens (Ephesians 2:19)
- Now part of household of God (Ephesians 2:19)
- Being built into dwelling place for God (Ephesians 2:22)
Reminder
Remember, this process of making a few more lists is focusing what my direction in study will be. The text is vibrant with directions for investigation; we need to get a plan in place or we could spend the rest of our days studying all that is here.
Next on our list of repeated words is peace and so I noted what is associated with that word.
Peace
- Jesus is their peace (Ephesians 2:14)
- That there is one new man in place of two = peace (Ephesians 2:15)
- Jesus came and preached peace (Ephesians 2:17)
Repeated Opposites
All of the lists we’ve compiled above were on the first sticky. The second and third stickies note the repeated opposites.
In Ephesians 2:13, Paul first mentions the concept that there are some that are far off and some that are near. A question that formed in my head and I recorded there is “Is this a merism? If you don’t remember what a merism is, you may refresh your memory here.
This is funny. To me.
If you recall, I will occasionally ask us to leave our backpacks at the door. A real, live demonstration of what I mean by that is happening right now.
When I wrote the Basics for merism, I used Ephesians 2:17 as an example. That all the people got to hear peace. Now as I am studying the passage surrounding the verse and my example, it is now a question in my study about whether or not this is a merism.
I’ve left my backpack at the door even about a literary device:
Is Paul simply describing two distinct people groups or is he using a figure of speech to describe all the people?
Having this question of interpretation is near the heart of my request to leave our backpacks at the door.
Far Off/Near
- Gentiles were far off, now near (Ephesians 2:13)
- Jesus preached peace to those who were far off and those who were near (Ephesians 2:17)
- Those far and near have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18)
In addition, there is a repeated opposite between peace and hostility. Let’s make a list for that.
Peace/Hostility
- Jesus is peace (Ephesians 2:14)
- Jesus’ flesh breaks down wall of hostility
- abolished law of commandments
- made one new man instead of two = peace (Ephesians 2:15)
- Reconciliation to God = hostility dead between two groups (Ephesians 2:16)
The last sticky I have covers the observations I made that concern Jesus’ involvement in all the other stickies. With all the other lists, either there are problems because Jesus wasn’t involved or there are new and improved situations because Jesus came on the scene and is active.
Jesus–integral to the process
- But now in Christ–brought near (Ephesians 2:13)
- Is both groups’ peace (Ephesians 2:14)
- Created a new being out of 2 (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 16)
- Reconciled 2→1→God (Ephesians 2:16)
- Preached peace to both groups (Ephesians 2:17)
- Provides access to God (Ephesians 2:18)
- Is the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)–OT
- In him beings built into structure for God (Ephesians 2:22)
Reflection
There you have the plan. Up to this point, you know everything that I know about what we will study in this passage.
If you look it over, Paul speaks with regularity about past bad news, present reality, and future truth. Within the lists we made of these repeated words and opposites, we have components of all of these tenses (past, present, future).
For example, in the section on strangers, the bad news is the recipients were aliens, now they are citizens, and at some point they are or will be not only the household of God but also a dwelling place for God in some way. See?
When we spend time in the Word, even if we aren’t to the point of application, we want to let the truth impact our hearts. But now in Christ Jesus, a pre-believer who was these things is now the opposite. Please don’t leave our time together without prayer and thanksgiving to the one who planned and made such a transformation possible.
Wrap Up
Our Bible Study Bite for today is that observing and working with what the author says will lead us closer to the meaning he wrote. When we ask the author what he wanted to emphasize (by observing repeated words or patterns), and we make a plan to focus on that, we are less likely to wander off the trail and get lost.
If we don’t listen to Paul as he attempts to make himself clear through the fog of time and culture, we might miss his point. Missing his point can tragically lead to theology and doctrine he never meant to even imply. And that can lead to placing burdens on ourselves and others that God never intended.
Why would we do that?
Paul repeats himself for emphasis so we will listen and examine what he is beckoning for us to hear.
