The Same Jesus
The Apostle Paul is very good at using one or two short verses that cause debate for centuries, which cause theologians and new believers alike to rack their brain for hours on end over a cup of coffee or next to a shelf of all the best commentaries and word studies. He unintentionally causes major differing belief systems. Ephesians 4:9 and 10 are some of those verses, and this on the front end of what I hope to be the most elaborate, fun, insightful, church-changing (and Cumberland-changing), rich texts we have studied through together (Eph. 4:11-16).
So why is Ephesians 4:9-10 so debated? I’m sure that Alan Scott wrote about this yesterday, but it is nearly impossible to write about the one verse without the other, and incase she/he didn’t, I’m going to give you the broad overview of why its debated. However, I really do not want to get into the thick of it because it is going to rob us of the true blessing of this text as a whole.
There are two major beliefs about these two verses: Some commentators will suggest that when Paul writes, “What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions (or depths of the earth)?”, he is writing about Jesus’ visit to 1) earth, or 2) Jesus’ visit to hell (Jesus went to hell to preach the Good News to those who’ve already died (1 Peter 3:19, 4:6)).
Now, just as I’ve said that Mr. Paul is good at throwing a few verses out there and having us debate them for millennia, we must think it plausible that he felt that his initial readers (the church in Ephesus) knew what he was talking about, or this could simply be used as a figure of speech. Is Paul really just saying, Jesus would go to whatever lengths possible – he would leave his comfy position in heaven and come down to earth, even the lower parts of earth (hell) to save the souls of his creation?
AND, to put the icing on this cake, that same Jesus who descended to the lowest of lows is now elevated to the highest glory in all of Heaven. Jesus, the same God-Man who came to earth (or lower), lived a short 33 years, preached the good news to Jews and Gentiles alike, was crucified on a cross and then three days later rose again – yea, that same Jesus is now sitting at the highest place in Heaven and filling the whole universe with his glory! Amen, Paul! What Paul is doing is saying, this same Jesus who came to earth and then rose to Glory, is the same Jesus who is handing out these incredibly powerful spiritual gifts. And over the next few weeks or so, you will read and hear a great deal about these spiritual gifts, and their role in the Church. But remember in the back of your mind, the same Jesus who is handing out these spiritual gifts to every member of his Church, as he deems appropriate, is the same Jesus who defeated death and is exalted in the highest place at the right hand of God.
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