For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. Ephesians 3:1
We have all heard the story of a man who was carrying a sandwich board down a busy street. On the front of the board was the message: ‘I am a fool for Christ’. People who saw the board laughed at that man for taking on himself the label of a fool. But their laughter stopped when the man passed by and they could read the message on the back of the sign: ‘Whose fool are you?’ We get the message: if we are all fools, it is far better to be a fool for Christ than a fool for the devil. In our text today, Paul speaks of being, not a fool, but a prisoner. And while he is, at the time he wrote this letter to the Christians in Ephesus, imprisoned by Rome, he does not identify himself as a prisoner of Rome, but a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Have we ever considered such an imprisonment for ourselves?
Usually, when we consider our salvation, we place our emphasis on our freedom instead of our imprisonment. We appreciate that we have been freed from ever experiencing the eternal penalty of our sins. We appreciate that we have been liberated from the power of sin in our lives. We appreciate that the treasures of the Word of God are freed up to our understanding and enjoyment. We appereciate our new freedom to enjoy and anticipate the rich promises of God for His children. All of this is because God ‘hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son’ – Colossians 1:13. Freedom indeed! But like Paul, we need to also humbly consider how our imprisonment has been transferred from that of the enemy to that of Jesus Christ.
As a prisoner of Rome, Paul finds himself completely under the authority of the prison, and incapable of going anywhere or doing anything that is outside of his captor’s authority. As the prisoner of Jesus Christ, Paul finds himself completely under the authority of Christ and incapable of going anywhere or doing anything that is outside of Christ’s authority and wishes. In reality, Paul is acknowledging the lordship of Jesus Christ in every aspect of his life. Is this how we see ourselves as the prisoners of Jesus Christ?
As the prisoner of Rome, Paul finds himself totally dependent on the prison for all of his needs. If he is to be fed, clothed, employed, or even entertained, all must be provided by and approved by the prison authorities. As the prisoner of Jesus Christ, Paul finds himself totally dependent on Christ for all of his needs. All of his temporal needs, and indeed all of his spiritual needs, are provided by his Lord. This aspect of imprisonment is a little more difficult for us to accept today as Christians often see ourselves as self sufficient. But in reality we are just as dependent as Paul was for all these things; we are just too proud to admit it.
Like Paul, we are the prisoners of Jesus Christ. How well are we appreciating our imprisonment? -Jim MacIntosh