Ephesians 1:15–23
In Ephesians, we find Paul writing to the believers and giving thanks for their faith in Jesus Christ. He prays for their reception of God’s spirit, and revelation, “the hope to which he has called you,”and “the immeasurable greatness of his power.”
One wonders if Paul had any trouble writing this, or if the church in Ephesus doubted this immeasureably great power. As tradition holds, Paul wrote this letter from prison. But Paul does not leave us with doubt as to where this hope and power come from.
“God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.” (1:20-21)
The message is clear: Even those in prisons and jails, even those oppressed and persecuted, can take faith in the power of Christ. And the proof is that Jesus was raised from the dead, and ascended to the right hand. This gives Christ rule, authority, power, dominion. And just as he has the power now, he will have it “in the age to come.”
This tracks with what the apostles were told when they watched Jesus ascend: “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Jesus’ power is not just restricted to what was seen in his life, or at his ascension. His power remains and continues for all time. Paul, one of the first prisoners to teach the church that prisons have no power over the reign of Christ, models a faith and resistance that is stored in the hope of the ascension.
Mitchell Atencio is a discalced writer and photographer in Washington, D.C.