There is perhaps no more relevant passage to our own time than Ephesians 2:11-22, the Second Reading appointed for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Mark. In this passage, the writer proclaims the amazing news that we who were "far off" have been brought "near" in Christ, and our reconciliation with God extends even to our reconciliation with all of humanity. It will be the preacher's great joy to proclaim this wonderful news.
(The following questions have been developed to highlight the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. The main reason for this concern is that the manner in which the Word functions in the text is the way the sermon must function as it is preached. For more on this method, see my brief guide Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? The opening verses are a statement of our condition apart from Christ, thus functioning as Law. Quickly, however, the writer turns to our condition in Christ (vs. 13 "but now in Christ...), thus functioning as Gospel. For the remainder of the passage the Word functions as Gospel, announcing to us all the amazing things Christ has done on behalf of the world God so loves.
2. How is the Word not functioning in the text? As stated above, the Law is present briefly, but as a whole there is no call to repentance here, no statement about our need for a Savior, other than to note our condition apart from Christ. If we want to see an example of the Word functioning as Law we need look no further than the First Reading, Jeremiah 23:1-6, where the prophet begins with these words: " Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter..."
3. With whom are you identifying in the text? We are those who are receiving this good news and acknowledging that apart from Christ we experience alienation from God and one another.
4. What, if any call to obedience is there in this text? There are only two imperative verbs in this passage, and they are both the same word: remember. The writer exhorts readers to remember their state apart from Christ, perhaps in order to be mindful, or thankful, or humble, or any number of postures that are appropriate for us who have received what we have in Christ. This word comes to us as well.
5. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? This passage gives us some ready made couplets for our use: aliens/fellow citizens; strangers/members of God's household; afar/near.
6. Exegetical work: It is important to note that the first word in this passage is Dio (So then/ Therefore...). In other words, the exhortation to remember our state apart from Christ and our new state in Christ comes as we reflect on what has been announced previously in chapter 2: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us..." The writer notes that we were "dead through trespasses and sins" (2:1), but God rescued us from this state. All this is background to our text. The 4th century bishop, John Chrysostom, marvels at the description in this passage of Christ's work. He says, "[Christ] did not pass the task of reconciliation on to another. He made himself the means of combining one with the other." And later he says, "[Christ's] death, he says, killed the enmity, wounded and destroyed it. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. VIII, p. 140). The modern scholar, Ralph Martin, also marvels at the richness of this passage, noting how the reconciliation announced here has more than one dimension: "It is this two-fold imagery of a double reconciliation - to God and to our fellow human beings - that is the unique contribution of Ephesians." (Interpretation series, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, p.34).
7. How does the Crossings Community model work with this text? Kris Wright does a nice job of distinguishing Law and Gospel in the 2014 analysis, using the terms around "walls." The long and short of it is we make walls and God tears them down. To see the details, go to crossings.org/text-study and search for the analysis under its reference.
Blessings on your proclamation!
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