7/12/12. “ … THE PLAN OF THE MYSTERY HIDDEN FOR AGES …”
A few weeks ago the world’s scientific community was all agog abut the confirmation of the long suspected reality of Higgs boson, that invisible particle that is responsible for holding the whole atomic structure together (or something like that). Big celebrations took place in the world’s scientific community.
But, if I may say so, that pales in significance with the discovery, or revelation, heralded by the first century missionary: Paul. Are you ready for this? The discovery of: “the plan of the mystery hidden for ages” that has been brought to light, made known, revealed in the event of Jesus Christ. We finally know what our lives and this whole world scene are all about!
Paul will say this three times in his letter to the church at Ephesus, in Asia Minor (1:9; 3:3; 3:8-10). What this means is that what has happened in Jesus Christ is that we now have meaning, we know that God has reconciled the world and us to himself at great cost, and that we have a confident hope and a future
If I may state it this way (using a few ten-dollar words): the cosmological, eschatological, and salvific design of God for his whole creation is now made plain. This is so huge. There are several near-synonymous concepts that are all windows into this design (though, sadly, these have been too-often subjectivized, diminished, and reduced to religious talk that doesn’t reflect the profound dimensions of them). They are:
- The kingdom (or, dominion) of God. This would have been more understandable by the Jewish community who had always anticipated the manifest reign of Yahweh, their God.
- New creation, and eternal life, which usage would have communicated this awesome reality to a gentile, or Greek world.
- Salvation in its larger, cosmic dimensions, as well as in the individual and personal reality of the rescue.
- “The age to come” now present because of its inauguration by Jesus and his cross.
- And, sometimes: righteousness, as reflecting that state of being in total harmony with God.
… for starts. The mystery of the ages is that it is God’s purpose to enter into his own creation, and deal the whole problem of evil—that rebellion that defiled his creation—and to reconcile the world to himself, to make all things new, to make known infinite love and grace, to destroy the works of the devil, and to inaugurate his ultimate Shalom.
It’s the kind of thrilling announcement and discovery that you can’t keep to yourself, whether in a public forum, or over a beer at your favorite pub. It’s just huge! Think of it! Congratulations to you scientists on the confirmation of the Higgs bison, but Christ’s work is much more awesome, if that word has any meaning. What do you think?
