Mystery of Christ

We have a tendency to want a small god who fits into our own plans. God should be this way or that way. I want to pray to god and have him answer all my prayers exactly the way I want. That's the way it is with man-made idols and gods who are created to be there for us.

But GOD created us and everything around us, so can we dare to fit him into what we want. So it was with the Son of GOD. The Jewish people expected a Messiah, a savior to lead them to military and political victory, a heaven on earth. But Jesus didn't fit any of those models. Being the essence of God, there is no mold to contain him.

So in Ephesians 2 and 3, we see how gentiles fit in. That's all of us who are not Jews. With the coming of Christ, no longer were the Jews the only people with a relationship with God, the only ones with covenants of promise and hope. I can see why its so hard for Jews to accept this Jesus.

When the mystery of Christ was revealed to the apostles and prophets, it was made known that "Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel."

For a proud Jew, it is like being a spoiled child who prides himself for having special attention from his father. Then the spoiled child finds out that someone has been adopted into the family and that new child is loved just as much. Imagine the jealousy and urge to be in denial.

For everyone of us this can be a real lesson in humility. When Christ took the punishment for my sins and God adopts me into His Kingdom, what possible justification is there for me to deny Christ to anyone. It wasn't just for Jews or just for Gentiles. It wasn't just for whites or blacks or asians. It wasn't for one culture or nation or one people group. It was for all mankind.

The love of Christ will supercede all of our personal prejudices, and our racial and cultural bias. When in faith, I accept Jesus as my savior, I become part of his Church, a spiritual family that encompasses all my Christian Brothers and Sisters. There are no more barriers of race and culture. This is how all men can share in the fellowship of God.