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A quick overview of the letter to the Ephesians reveals an overarching focus on the church: the saints who are the body of Christ. . From the opening greeting identifying the addressees as the saints (Ephesians 1:1-2) and the lofty opening sentences outlining the rich spiritual blessings the saints have in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-10), the … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:11-23 Commentary by Sammy Alfaro”

There are all kinds of reasons to object to the opening salvo of the New Testament letter to the Ephesians. To insulate yourself against the direct challenges to your personal sovereignty represented in this passage, it is possible to bring up the question of authorship: Is the letter really from Paul’s hand? Or is it, … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Hans Wiersma”

The Second Lesson for this Sunday is the first in a series of readings from the Letter to the Ephesians extending over seven Sundays. Of the total verses in Ephesians (155), nearly half (75 of them) will be read during these seven Sundays. Reading Ephesians by way of the lectionary is necessarily selective. What is … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Arland J. Hultgren”

At least three observations are in order before we set out to explore the “content” of the epistolary reading for this Sunday. First, Paul’s letters have a regular format. They begin with a salutation (naming sender/s and recipient/s, and offering a word of greeting) which is normally followed by a thanksgiving-prayer that precedes the body … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Marion L. Soards”

The opening words of this reading from Ephesians signal to whom the praise should be given on this Sunday and every Sunday — God. While we tend to put Jesus front and center at Christmas, and legitimately so, it is worthwhile to remember that at stake in all of this is God’s longing to bring … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Karoline Lewis”

This is a text of almost unfathomable depth. Before exploring some of the many ways a preacher might preach from it, we can start by taking off the table one way it ought not to be preached. Famously, these verses comprise one long sentence in Greek. Daunting enough in English so that translators have almost … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Sally A. Brown”

Ephesians carries a message of “identity formation,” reminding Gentiles that they are “no longer aliens and strangers” (2:1–22), guiding them in understanding their new identity and socialization (4:17–6:9)… …and persuading them that in light of God’s great work of reconciliation in Christ, they too should live reconciled to one another (4:1–16).1 Our passage fills the crucial … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Kyle Fever”

Ephesians begins by baptizing its hearers in a flood of poetry. After the conventional opening in 1:1-2, the writer himself overflows (see verse 8) in one very long sentence (less a problem for Greek-speakers than for us), filled with so many images, promises, and challenges that we barely know where to enter the text. Ephesians … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Sarah Henrich”

The fact of human difference may no longer surprise us. What may surprise us in this passage is that the author stops to thank God for the foresight and grace to plan this messy human diversity. Ephesians is a letter about living together in the midst of human differences. The author writes as a Jew … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Susan Hylen”

Ephesians begins with both a blessing (verses 3-14, as in 2 Corinthians) and a thanksgiving (verses 15-23, as in most of the undisputed letters of Paul). This redundancy is only one part of the overflowing abundance which this text expresses. The style here is elevated, even extravagant; it is a bewildering array of participles, pronouns, … Continue reading “Ephesians 1:3-14 Commentary by Brian Peterson”