Ephesians 1.15-23 (5)
Pray Psalm 110.1, 2.
The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
Sing Psalm 110. 1, 2.
(Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
“Sit by Me at My right hand,” the LORD says to my Lord,
“until I make Your foot stand on all who hate Your Word.”
The LORD sends strength from Zion: “Rule all Your enemies.”
While those who Him rely on go forth their LORD to please.
Read Ephesians 1.15-23; meditate on verse 22.
How many ways can you meditate on Jesus as “Head” of the Church? What does each of these suggest about His work at this time?
Preparation
1. What has been put under Jesus’ feet?
2. To what end?
Meditation
The operative phrase in this passage is τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ,, tay ekklesia. The translations I have consulted all render this as “to the Church.” The meaning then would seem to be that Jesus is subduing “all things”—everything in the cosmos—to the Church. But in what sense “to”? And how is Jesus doing that? This translation is more than unclear; it’s downright confusing.
Two other renderings of this form are possible. One would be “for the Church”. Jesus is subduing all things for or to the advantage of the Church. But again, the “how” is not clear in this translation. How is Jesus subduing all things for the Church?
A better translation, and one more consistent with passages such as Psalms 8 and 110 and Hebrews 2.5-9, is “by the Church.” That is, Jesus is putting all things in the world under His own feet, that is, under His own order and rule, by the Church. The Church is doing this work, as seems clear in Psalm 110, and there is still a lot of it to go, as the writer of Hebrews explained. We live in a time when some things have been put under Jesus’ feet so that they are subject to the holiness, righteousness, and goodness of His Law (Rom. 7.12), issuing in love for God and neighbor (Matt. 22.34-40). But there is more work to do in expanding the rule of King Jesus over all things. And this is where the Church comes in. Jesus is doing this great restorative work through His Body, the Church. Each of us as members of His Body uses the gifts He has given to bring everything we can under the rule of King Jesus. Every aspect of our lives, every day.Look at your life. In many ways, you’re already doing this. But where can you “excel still more”, as Paul might say? What else can you reach to bring it under Jesus’ rule? Whom can you encourage to join you in this effort? We are the ones by whom Jesus is subduing the world. What is the King sending you to subdue today?
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Indeed, “what is the King sending you to subdue today?”
Maybe we should start here:
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and
he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Prov. 16.32).
“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like
a city broken down, without walls” (Prov. 25.28).
And then after that, the icing on the cake:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5.22, 23).
God has put all things under the feet of our majestic and worthy King.
He is The Head of the Church.
He rules over all things by the Church.
He desires that we rule over our own spirit,
tamping down, with the power of the Holy Spirit, all unacceptable behaviors within;
and through that same Spirit, as part of His Body, the Church, rule over evil and wickedness without.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Cor. 10.4, 5).
“We are the ones by whom Jesus is subduing the world.”
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
“Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.”
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
be of good courage,
and He shall strengthen your heart;
wait, I say, on the LORD” (Ps. 27.1, 11, 13, 14).
To Subdue all Things—to, for, and by the Church—through Him Whom God put all things under.
Reflection
1. What are some areas of your life where the rule of King Jesus is making itself known?
2. What are some areas where you still have some work to do?
3. Whom will you encourage today in subduing all things in their life for the rule of King Jesus?
Oh, how high he has raised the church! For, as if he were lifting it by some stage machine, he has led it up to a great height and installed it on that throne. For where the head is, there is the body also. John Chrysostom (344-407), Homily on Ephesians 3.1.20-23
Pray Psalm 110.3-7.
Pray that Jesus will give you victories today in carrying out His will and spreading His grace throughout your Personal Mission Field.
Sing Psalm 110.3-7.
(Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
Your people in Your power, arrayed in holiness,
like dew of morning’s hour shall serve like youth refreshed.
The LORD has sworn and never will He His promise check:
“You are a priest forever after Melchizedek.”
The Lord is at Your right hand to execute His wrath,
and judge all kings and all lands—doomed sinners in His path.
Then, all His foes defeated, He takes His hard-won rest,
in glorious triumph seated with us, redeemed and blessed.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at commerce from a Kingdom perspective. Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, Such a Great Salvation. In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint is making progress in his journey to find The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
