エフェソの信徒への手紙1:20-23 Ephesians 1:20-23,

神はまた、すべてのものをキリストの足もとに従わせ、キリストをすべてのものの上にある頭として教会にお与えになりました。（エフェソ1:23）

パウロは父なる神様がキリストを「すべての支配、権威、勢力、主権の上に」置かれた(21節)ということを「すべてのものをキリストの足もとに従わせ」と言い換えています。そして、それをさらに「キリストをすべてのものの上にある頭として教会にお与えになりました」と言い換えています。これは、とても大切な意味をもっている御言葉です。「キリストを頭として教会にお与えになりました」とだけ書かれているのであれば、多くの人は当たり前のことだと思うでしょう。キリスト教会を支配し治めておられるのは天におられるキリストですから、父なる神様がキリストを信じる人々の共同体である教会の「頭」となさったというのは、当然のことでしょう。ところが、パウロは「キリストを頭として教会にお与えになりました」ではなく「キリストをすべてのものの上にある頭として教会にお与えになりました」と記しています。つまり、父なる神様はまず「キリストをすべてのものの上にある頭」とされました。そして、「すべてのものの上にある頭」であるキリストを教会にお与えくださったのです。ですから、確かにキリストは教会の「頭」であられますが、それよりも先にキリストは「すべてのものの上にある頭」とされているのです。言い換えれば、天におられるキリストは、キリスト教会だけではなく全世界・全宇宙を支配しておられるということです。

みなさまは、信仰とは心の問題であると考えておられるかもしれません。それは間違いではありません。確かに信仰は心の問題です。しかし、信仰は心だけの問題ではありません。信仰はこの世界と宇宙をどのように理解するかという問題でもあるのです。そして、キリストを信じるということは、キリストが信じる人の心や信じる人々の共同体である教会だけでなく、全世界・全宇宙をも支配しておられることを信じるということなのです。そのように申し上げると、「そんなことは信じられない。この世界をキリストが支配しておられるのであるならば、世界はどうして悲惨な出来事に満ちているのか？」と反論される方もおられるでしょう。それに対しては「世界が悲惨な出来事に満ちているのは、私たち人類の罪のためです。そして、キリストはこの悲惨な世界の中に聖霊によって臨在して働き、救いのわざを進めておられます」とお答えしたいと思います。キリストは天というこの世界を超越した場所におられるにもかかわらず、聖霊によってこの世界に臨在して、この世界にもいてくださるのです。そして、キリスト教会こそが、キリストが臨在し働かれる第一の場所なのです。（2月2日の説教より）

The people of Japan are unique in the world when it comes to religion. Firstly, the overwhelming majority of the population do not belong to any particular religious group or believe in any particular religion. In other words, the overwhelming majority of people consider themselves “non-religious,” and according to various statistics, this number reaches approximately 70% of the population. However, even if they do not believe in a particular religion, many people will say that their religion is Buddhism or Shintoism, in the sense that they hold funerals and other ceremonies in the form of these religions. Secondly, the total number of believers reported by various religious organisations far exceeds the total population of Japan, probably as a result of the fact that many people believe that their rituals mean a religion. According to the latest edition of the Japan Statistical Yearbook, published annually by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the total number of believers in religious organisations in 2022 is approximately 162.99 million; the total population of Japan in 2022 is approximately 124.95 million, meaning that the total number of believers is approximately 38 million more than the total population. These facts are pointed out by Prof. INOUE Hiroshi, professor emeritus of Shimane University and a researcher on Japanese Shintoism. According to Prof. INOUE, the religion of the Japanese people is “unfettered and flexible polytheism.” The characteristics of this religion are described by Prof. INOUE as follows.

As is well known by the name of “Yaoyorozu no Kami” (the eight million gods), there are many gods, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Japan, and they are all regarded as objects of faith. They are also characterised by the fact that they are used in different ways depending on the time and place, which is a major difference from other Asian countries. (INOUE Hiroshi, The False Image and Real Image of “Shinto,” Kodansha, 2011. Translated by MIYOSHI Akira.)

What kind of image do the people of Japan, who accept numerous gods, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and use them differently depending on the time and place, have of the Christian church? The image I had of the Christian church before I was baptised at the age of 19 was that of a serious and charitable place. I think this is one of the images non-Christians in Japan have of the Christian church. Other people may have different images of the Christian church, such as a place to hold a wedding ceremony, a place where foreigners teach English, or a place to do penance. And these images are based on external impressions. Therefore, it cannot be said that those who have these images necessarily understand the essence of the church.

So, do Christians understand the essence of the Christian church? What do they consider the Christian church to be? What the Christian church is must be considered according to biblical teachings. However, even if you are a Christian, you have given priority to your own assumptions of what the church is like, rather than the biblical teachings, haven’t you? For example, a Christian may assume that the church is a place of relief. It is not necessarily wrong to say that church is a place of relief. But what if the person assumed that the church must always be a place of relief? That person would not be able to accept that the church is a place where one realise one’s sins and repent. Another example is a Christian who assumes that the church is a place where ethics and morals are taught. It is not necessarily wrong to say that the church is where ethics and morals are taught. But what if the person assumed that the primary mission of the church is to teach ethics and morals? That person would not be able to understand that the church is where the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. Therefore, we must understand what the church is, not by relying on our own assumptions, but by humbly studying the teachings of the Bible.

In verses 17-19, which precede today’s Bible passage, Paul writes words of intercessory prayer for the Ephesian believers. First, in verses 17 and 18, he begins with the prayer “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened.” Because our human hearts are guilty of sinning against God, we cannot know God properly in the ordinary senses we normally use. But if God gives the Holy Spirit and has the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we can understand the hope and glory that our ordinary senses cannot know. This is expressed in Paul’s prayer in verse 18 “that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” The “glorious inheritance in the saints” refers to eternal life, the property of heaven. Believers in Christ can walk in the hope of inheriting the glorious heavenly property even as they face physical death here on earth. He can walk with the sure hope of inheriting the heavenly property of being justified by God and receiving eternal life. Also, Paul prays in verse 19, that you may know “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” If God has the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we will be able to understand “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.”

In the verses 20 and 21 of today’s passage that follow, Paul writes that “he worked (his great might) 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 one to come.” God is doing a great work in guiding each of our lives by his own power, bringing us through various experiences, bringing us to encounter Christ, giving us faith in Christ, and making us heirs of the heavenly property. And this power of the Father was also the immeasurable power that raised Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, from the dead. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are central to Christian teachings. But Paul emphasises in this passage not only the resurrection of Christ, but also that he ascended into heaven and rules over all on the throne of heaven. Why is that?

In my first exposition of the Epistle to the Ephesians, I told the following story about the religions of Ephesus in New Testament times. Ephesus was a very prosperous capital of the Roman province of Asia, where various religions flourished and as many as 50 gods and goddesses were worshipped. Among these, the worship of the Greek goddess Artemis was particularly popular. The temple dedicated to Artemis is said to have been four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens. Artemis was believed to have great power over heaven, earth and the world of the dead. This worship of Artemis had a profound impact on the worldview and life of the Ephesians. The Ephesians believed that by worshipping Artemis they would be protected from the plagues of this world and even after death. Therefore, the Ephesians sought to obtain Artemis’ spiritual protection through magical rituals, incantations and prayers. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that when Paul preached Christ in Ephesus, there was a great impact on the Ephesians. Those who believed in Christ and gave up magic arts burned expensive books of magic arts in front of the people (Acts 19:19). However, those who persisted in their worship of Artemis were incited to riot by Demetrius, a silversmith who had made and sold a model of the temple of Artemis. And Paul was even almost killed at that time (Acts 19:23-40).

Thus, the people in and around Ephesus believed in the rule of the spirit of gods such as Artemis. They believed that the daily life of this world was ruled by the spirits of the gods. They also believed that not only this age but also the age to come, i.e. the afterlife, was ruled by the spirits of the gods. So, Paul probably wanted to emphasise that Christ is now “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 one to come.” He may also have tried to convey that those who believe in Christ are freed from the dominion of the spirit of the gods by the power of Christ.

Some people may think that being freed from the dominion of the spirit of the gods and goddesses is a story that is 2000 years old and has nothing to do with us living in the age of science in the 21st century. But is this really the case? In this country of Japan, the reality that many people visit shrines and worship the gods and goddesses enshrined there is very similar to Ephesus 2000 years ago. And the situation in which those in charge of national politics take the initiative in praying to the gods and goddesses of shrines for protection for themselves, their people and their country, is the very situation in Ephesus, where Artemis was worshipped as the guardian goddess of Ephesus.

In the following verse 22, Paul writes that God “put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Paul paraphrases God the Father’s placing Christ “above all rule and authority and power and dominion” as “putting all things under his feet.” And he paraphrases it further as giving Christ “as head over all things to the church.” This is very important words. Many people would take it for granted if it only said, “God gave Christ as head to the church.” Since it is Christ in heaven who rules and governs the Christian church, it would be natural to say that God the Father has made Christ the head of the church, the community of believers in Christ. However, Paul does not only write “God gave Christ as head to the church,” but God gave Christ “as head over all things to the church.” In other words, God the Father first made Christ the “head over all things.” He then gave Christ, “as head over all things to the church.” So, Christ is indeed the head of the church, but before that, Christ is the “head over all things.” That is, Christ in heaven rules not only over the Christian church, but also over the whole world and universe.

You may think that faith is a matter of the heart. That is not wrong. It is true that faith is a matter of the heart. But faith is not only a matter of the heart. Faith is also a matter of how we understand the world and the universe. And to believe in Christ is to believe that he rules not only over the hearts of those who believe and over the church, the community of believers, but also over the whole world and the whole universe. When we say this to ordinary people, they may argue, “If Christ rules the world, how can the world be full of misery?” To this, I reply, “The world is full of misery because of our sins of human beings. And Christ is working in this miserable world by the presence of the Holy Spirit to advance the works of salvation. Even though Christ is in heaven, a place that transcends this world, he is present in this world by the Holy Spirit and is also present in this world.

Christ is present and working in this world by the Holy Spirit. And the Christian church is the first place where Christ is present and at work. Paul writes in verse 23 that the church “is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” That the church is the body of Christ is a statement also made in other Pauline letters. For example, in 1 Corinthians 12:27 Paul says, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” But especially in this letter to the Ephesians, the emphasis is on the fact that the Christian church is the body of Christ. In 4:12 of this letter, Paul says that Christ equips the saints for the work of ministry, “for building up the body of Christ.” And in 5:30 he says that “we are members of his body.” The Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ, dwells in the bodies of those who believe in him, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is God’s gift to you? (REB)” And the church, the community of those in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells, is the body of Christ in this world.

It may be difficult to understand the statement that the church is “the fullness of him who fills all in all.” “Fullness” and “fill” are expressions of God’s presence. In Psalm 8:2, it reads: “LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” And in Psalm 119:64, it reads: “The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love.” Both of these statements refer to God’s presence in this world. And since God the Father and Christ, God’s only begotten Son, are of the same essence, “he who fills all in all” refers both to God the Father and to Christ. God the Father and Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, are present in this world by the Holy Spirit. And the place where Christ is “fulness,” i.e., present by the Holy Spirit is the church. Therefore, when we say that the church is “the fullness of him who fills all in all,” we mean that the church is the place where Christ is present and where the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, is full.

Each of you may have your own idea of what the church is like. That means that you understand one aspect of the church. But always remember that the church is a place filled with the Spirit of Christ, who rules over all things. And when we realise that the church is full of the Spirit of Christ, who rules over all things, we will be able to believe and form the church as “the body of Christ,” instead of looking at it and criticising it with worldly thoughts.