3. (18-19a) Paul prays that they would understand everything God gave them in Jesus Christ.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe,
a. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: If the Ephesians will know all God has given them in Jesus, it will take a supernatural work. It will require that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened by God.
i. Paul used a great expression when he speaks of the eyes of your heart (heart is more literal than understanding). Too many Christian hearts have no eyes (places where they gain real knowledge and understanding), and too many Christian eyes have no heart – God wants both to be combined in us.
ii. “The word ‘heart’ in Scripture signifies the very core and centre of life, where the intelligence has its post of observation, where the stores of experience are laid up, and the thoughts have their fountain.” (Alford)
b. What is the hope of His calling: Paul wanted them to know this. Few things give us a more secure and enduring hope in life than simply knowing that God has called us and has a specific calling for us to fulfill.
i. The hope of His calling has its perspective on the future. The believer has a glorious future of resurrection, eternal life, freedom from sin, perfected justification, and glorious elevation above the angels themselves.
c. What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints: Paul wanted them to know the greatness of God’s inheritance in His people. We usually think only of our inheritance in God, but Paul wanted the Ephesians to understand that they are so precious to God that He considered them His own inheritance.
i. Several commentators believe that Paul also spoke of God’s inheritance in His people back in Ephesians 1:11. But that is certainly his idea here, with Paul probably drawing his idea from Deuteronomy 32:8-9: When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.
ii. Knowing our spiritual poverty, we wonder how God can find any inheritance in the saints. Yet God can make riches out of poor men and women because He invests so much in them. He has invested riches of love, riches of wisdom, riches of suffering, riches of glory. These things accrue to a rich inheritance in the saints.
d. The exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe: Paul wanted them to know how great the power of God is toward us who believe. Christians should know they serve and love a God of living power who shows His strength on behalf of His people.
i. Many Christians do not know this power – or they only know it from a distance. God wants resurrection life to be real in the life of the believer. “The very same power which raised Christ is waiting to raise the drunkard from his drunkenness, to raise the thief from his dishonesty, to raise the Pharisee from his self-righteousness, to raise the Sadducee from his unbelief.” (Spurgeon)
ii. This ends the “request” portion of Paul’s prayer. The following section explains more of this mighty power and what it did. Paul asked these things because they were important to ask for. We could say that the prayer of Ephesians 1:17-19 is essentially a request that the promises of Ephesians 1:3-14 be found as real in the lives of the Ephesian Christians.
iii. In the same way, your prayers for the spiritual growth and enlightenment of others are important. If Paul believed it was important to pray these things for the Ephesian Christians, it is important for us to pray them for others – and for ourselves.
4. (19b-21) A description of the great power of God that Paul wants the Ephesians to know.
According to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
a. According to the working of His mighty power: The power that works in us is the mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead. With this mighty power available to us, there never needs to be a “power shortage” in the Christian life.
i. “If the death of Christ is the supreme demonstration of the love of God… the resurrection of Christ is the supreme demonstration of his power.” (Bruce)
b. And seated Him at His right hand: It is the mighty power that raised Jesus to heaven after His resurrection, raising Him above all demonic foes and every potential enemy of all time – this same power is at work in Christians.
i. “The right hand is the place of friendship, honour, confidence, and authority.” (Clarke)
c. Far above all principality and power and might and dominion: From other passages in Ephesians (Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12) we know that this refers to angelic beings, both loyal and lethal. We don’t completely understand the ranks of the angelic realm, but we do know that Jesus is raised above them. “We know that the king is above all, though we cannot name all the officers of his court. So we know that Christ is above all, though we are not able to name all His subjects.” (Alford)
i. “Think of the paradox. The Apostle is speaking of a Personage of history, of recent, almost contemporary, history… He had worked with His hands, He had walked from place to place like other men, and man could no doubt accurately describe His look and manner when He talked… He is now ‘seated at the right hand of’ Almighty God, on His very throne.” (Moule)
5. (22-23) Where this great power has placed Jesus.
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
a. He put all things under His feet: This great resurrection power placed Jesus above all things. Now all things are under His feet. It set Jesus as the head over all things, including the church.
i. “He says that Christ in his exaltation over the universe is God’s gift to the church.” (Wood)
b. The church, which is His body: If Jesus is the head, then the community of Christians make up His body. The idea of the fullness of Him here is probably connected to the manner in which Jesus fills His church with His presence and blessings.
i. “Yes, this is here given as the final glory of the infinitely exalted Christ. Angels and archangels are subject to Him. But believing men are joined to Him, with a union such that He and they, by this same messenger of His, are called elsewhere (1 Corinthians 12:12) one ‘Christ.’” (Moule)