(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
Biblically, what is a “mystery?”
Intro:
Adolf Hitler banned it and forbade the observance of (the celebration it commanded). He also declared it a capital offense, without the possibility of trial, for Christians or Jews to possess a copy of the book of…Esther.(0)
Hey Hopeful Ones, welcome. A massive history lesson in a few sentences:
The Persian empire is founded by Cyrus, who conquers the Babylonians in 539 bc. Cyrus is generous to the religious and national groups in his realm, and gives permission for Jews to return to Jerusalem after their years of exile in Babylonia.
That’s where we picked up in Ezra. Then, because Haggai and Zechariah were related to rebuilding the temple, we detoured there. Today we’re back to Ezra for a couple chapters, but no, not finishing it, because..
some Jews remain scattered throughout the Persian empire, and it is part of their story that the book of Esther has to tell.
Cyrus is succeeded as king by Darius, who establishes the administration of the mighty empire. He in turn is succeeded by his son Xerxes, who reigns from 486 to 465 BC.(1)
NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT:
Turning to the NT first, though (as we always do), today we wrap up the first half of Ephesians, and it’s a good to look at the big picture there, too. Ephesians divides neatly into two halves…the first 3 chs
…present the foundational story of how the church must understand its identity within God’s vision of…unity in Christ. God chose the church before the creation of the world (1:4) and made known to it his plan of uniting all things in Christ (1:9–10). Central to this plan is the unity of the church, a unity in which vertical reconciliation to God (2:1–10) forms the basis of horizontal reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles (2:11–22).(2)
Passage: Ephesians 3
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 21
Words: ~408
Paul elaborates further on this union of Jews and Gentiles into one body (3:1–13): the church’s function is to proclaim the reality and wisdom of God’s cosmic plan of reconciliation to the “rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (3:10). Paul prays that his readers will comprehend the love of Christ and love one another (3:14–21) so they can live out the unity they have in Christ.
Chs. 4–6 exhort the church to conduct itself in light of its calling within God’s plan of peace and unity in Christ. Believers are to maintain the church’s unity (4:1–16) by embracing the corporate ethos of their new identity (4:17–5:20), establishing household unity (5:21–6:9), and standing together against a common enemy (6:10–20).(2)
OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT:
Passage: Ezra 5-6
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 39
Words: ~960
Passage: Esther 1
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 22
Words: ~722
The bottom line:
What is a ‘mystery’ in a biblical sense? And why is this important?
A mystery is something previously concealed but now made known in the gospel. In 1:9 “mystery” spoke of God’s purpose of gathering together all things under the headship of Christ. In chapter 3 it refers to one aspect of that ultimate goal, the inclusion of Gentiles in the blessings of the gospel and the terms on which this is done.(4)
Let’s look at these two examples:
He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. Eph 1:9–10, CSB
Remember that, broadly speaking, in an OT sense, the expectation was that the promised Messiah would be conqueror and king and liberator…which was assumed to be military and political. And Jesus was/is conqueror, king, and liberator, but from the ultimate enemy of sin and death. The issue of peace on earth isn’t the goal, it’s the outcome of his eternal, sovereign reign.
So no he says that Gentiles, non-Jews, are co-heirs…another part of the mystery revealed. More importantly, Paul’s saying this was the plan from eternity past. All of the above are fully revealed in Christ.
Why is this important? It’s now been revealed…in Jesus. We see the OT through a new covenant lens. Jesus said “you’re a simpleton if you think adultery is actually cheating on spouse, but reality is that even lusting in your heart is actually cheating.” In a way, it’s what we do if we read the OT and still think Jesus’ solution is sociopolitical liberation vs liberation from being slaves to sin. So…”God’s purpose of gathering together all things under the headship of Christ,” and as we’ll see in chs 4-6, this has massive implications for how we relate to God and each other.
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(0) Richard R. Losch, All the People in the Bible: An A–Z Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 111.
(1) Andrew Knowles, The Bible Guide, 1st Augsburg books ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001), 212.
(2) Douglas J. Moo, “The Letters and Revelation,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 2114.
(4) David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 715.