City Life Starter

Written by Ji Yun

The Word

“To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables.”

Mark 4:11

“But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Matthew 13:16-17

Reflection

When I think about the word ‘mystery,’ I automatically think of the show “Unsolved Mysteries.” This show gave me plenty of scares and nightmares in my youth. It affected my decision-making during that stage of my life. In English terms, mystery can be a dark, eerie, and uncertain event that is inexplainable or unsolved.

In chapter 3 of Ephesians, Apostle Paul describes this mystery, specifically, the “mystery of Christ.” In the Greek language, mystery or mysterion has a quite different meaning than its English counterpart. According to Theologian and Scholar John Stott, he describes it as follows.

“[Mysterion is a] secret but open-truth into which someone had been initiated, in Christianity, mysteries are ‘truth’ which, although beyond human discovery, have been revealed by God so now belong openly to the church. More simply, mysterion is a truth hitherto hidden from human knowledge or understanding but not disclosed by the revelation of God.”

John Stott

To Paul, sharing this revealed truth to his readers was critical, so much so he would use this chapter to reemphasize the messages of the previous chapters. I think this is the pastoral heart of Paul for his readers. He knew this revealed truth was the most important treasure he had and wanted his readers to know in detail.

As Jesus said, to know this revealed truth, to be able to comprehend and fully grasp it, is one who is truly blessed in the Kingdom of Heaven.