His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 3:10

Today's Scripture Reading (May 22, 2024):  Ephesians 3

I grew up in a car family, so I know what a manifold is. Actually, there are two in a car (at least as I understand it; I grew up in a car family, but that doesn't mean I know anything about cars). A manifold, by my most common understanding, is the apparatus that receives exhaust gasses that are the output of many cylinders in an internal combustion engine. But it is also a fitting that directs the fuel to air mixture that enters the engine. There is a manifold on both ends of the internal combustion engine process. (And, yes, I am sure my Dad will correct me.)

What I can't figure out is what a manifold has to do with the wisdom of God. I think that, in context, I have always interpreted the word to mean something like great, but that is not true. It means varied, or literally "many-colored." So, let me reread this passage.

His intent was that now, through the church, the many-colored wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:10-11).

God's many-colored wisdom. Paul often argues that the plan was for the mystery to be revealed. What was the mystery? That God was about to bring the barriers down, even the biggest of them, the one that existed between Jews and Gentiles. Our problem is that the Jew-Gentile barrier isn't significant for us, which sometimes leads us to believe that we have accomplished Paul's mystery. But God still wants to pull down barriers, the big ones for us, and not just the big ones for the Ephesians, and in the process, we will see God's many-colored wisdom revealed in a diverse and many-colored church. Wherever we find barriers between us and others, God wants us to be the ones who pull them down. His church, when it is working at its best, is varied, a mosaic or a tapestry; it is many-colored. And that is a mystery, even for us.

And I know this will sound bad, but we often leave barriers up because they are related to sins. We forget that in Paul's day, being a Gentile was a sin. For a Gentile to leave that sin, they had to become Jews; they had to follow the food laws, get circumcised, and follow the rest of the Laws of Moses. Jews didn't associate with Gentiles because the Bible said that association was not right. What Paul was preaching seemed to go against the Law of Moses. And that is hard for even us to understand. Yet, God still wants us to pull down the barriers, making us a many-colored church.

Maybe another biblical example of this kind of change would help us. Deuteronomy argues that "No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 23:1). The idea is that God has instructed us to be fruitful and multiply. Still, a castrated man cannot do that. He has disregarded the greatest gift and the first command that God gave to the human race; therefore, if you are castrated, you cannot enter the Temple or the Church. Ushers will check you as you enter the church next Sunday (just kidding).

It seems simple, right? Let me add a passage from Isaiah to this situation.

For this is what the Lord says:

To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant—
to them I will give within my temple and its walls
    a memorial and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
    that will endure forever.

                                                            Isaiah 56:4-5

Emasculation is still wrong but softened. Isaiah isn't as harsh. There is a special memorial that is better than the sons and daughters that you didn't have because you were cut or crushed. Between Deuteronomy and Isaiah, something has changed. The barrier wasn't entirely down, but it was lowered.

And then Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch asks some questions, to which Philip gives the answers.

The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" ³⁵ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?" 

                                                            Acts 8:34-36

I know the answer to the question. Because Deuteronomy 23 says that no one who has been cut or crushed can enter into the assembly of the Lord. You are a eunuch; that is all we need to know to exclude you.

But that isn't what happens.

And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 

                                                            Acts 8:38-39

This is the manifold mystery, the many-colored wisdom of God.  Barriers that we never thought could be dropped are gone in the light of God's many-colored wisdom.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4