A part of our family Easter tradition is to celebrate a Passover Seder on the Thursday evening of Holy Week. The part I like the most is reciting together the Dayenu poem or song, that recounts the events of the Exodus. After recounting each event, the refrain dayenu – “it would have been enough” – is repeated.
It so happens that right now I am teaching Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to junior and senior high school students. It struck me as appropriate to sum up the key points of Ephesians 1-2 by imitating the style of the Dayenu song.
To the Praise of His Glorious Grace
- If he had forgiven our transgressions and had not loved us, it would have been enough!
- If he had loved us and had not adopted us as sons, it would have been enough!
- If he had adopted us as sons and had not given us an inheritance, it would have been enough!
- If he had given us an inheritance and had not given us the Holy Spirit, it would have been enough!
- If he had given us the Holy Spirit and not blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, it would have been enough!
Life in Christ
- If he had made known to us the mystery of his will and had not made us alive with Christ, it would have been enough!
- If he had made us alive in Christ and had not raised us with Christ, it would have been enough!
- If he had raised us with Christ and had not seated us with Christ, it would have been enough!
- If he had seated us with Christ and had not created us for good works in Christ Jesus, it would have been enough!
- If he had created us for good works and had not purposed to show the surpassing riches of His grace toward us in Christ Jesus in the age to come, it would have been enough!
Gentiles Included in God’s People
- If he had brought us, who were far off, near by the blood of Christ and had not established peace, it would have been enough!
- If he had established peace and had not made us fellow citizens, members of God’s household, it would have been enough!
- If he had made us fellow citizens and had not broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, it would have been enough!
- If he had broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile and had not given us both access to the Father in the Spirit – who is able to do more than we can ask for or think, it would have been enough!
- If he had given us both access to the Father and had not made us a Holy Temple, a dwelling of God in the Spirit, it would have been enough!
My! How God has lavished his grace upon us!
What does all this have to do with discipling all nations? In a word: Everything!
Since all peoples can become a part of God’s household, in which there are no second class citizens, then all peoples need (1) to hear the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 1:13) and (2) to learn” to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1), which Paul succinctly outlines in Ephesians chapters 4-6. Ephesians provides us with an agenda to disciple all the nations.
References to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians for each strophe
- Forgiven our Transgressions (Ephesians 1:7)
- God loves us (Ephesians 1:4; 2:4)
- Adoption (Ephesians 1:5)
- Inheritance (Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18)
- Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13); every spiritual blessing (1:3)
- The mystery of his will (Ephesians 1:9, cf. 3:3-10)
- Made alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)
- Raised with Christ (Ephesians 2:6)
- Seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:7)
- Created for good works (Ephesians 2:10); the surpassing riches of grace (Ephesians 2:7)
- Gentiles brought near (Ephesians 2:13)
- Peace (Ephesians 2:14-15,17)
- Fellow citizens and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19)
- Broke down the dividing wall – having in view the wall separating the court of the Gentiles from the Court of the Jews in the Temple in Jerusalem (Ephesians 2:14)
- Access to the Father (2:18; cf. 3:20) A holy Temple, a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22). Interestingly enough, the Dayenu culminates with God giving the Jews the Temple; Paul culminates Ephesians chapter 2 with the Jews and the Gentiles being a Temple of God.