Why Was Paul Willing to Go to Prison? (Ephesians 3:1–5)

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles – ² If you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me for you: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote before in few words, ⁴ whereby, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) ⁵ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

Overwhelmed by God’s actions, Paul shifts gears and begins to pray. He explains his motivation with the phrase “for this cause,” which refers to the previous verses. In other words, Paul is about to break into prayer because both Jews and Gentiles are united in the church, forming a place where God lives.

But Paul doesn’t get very far. He goes off on a tangent as soon as he mentions his present condition—he’s a prisoner. Let’s look at this more closely.

First, a little background. Most scholars agree that Paul wrote this letter while under house arrest in Rome, around 61 or 62 AD. Before arriving in the “Eternal City,” Paul had languished for over two years in a prison in Caesarea. So it had been a while since he had last tasted freedom.

Paul digresses from his prayer to show his readers why his imprisonment is worth it. He doesn’t want them to worry about him. After all, he knows they love him dearly because he had lived in Ephesus for almost three years and was actively involved in the church.

Notice how Paul describes himself. He doesn’t say he’s a prisoner of Rome but “of Christ Jesus.” Paul is looking at the bigger picture and sees his circumstances as part of God’s plan. He’s okay with being in prison, and he goes on to explain why.

Paul reminds the Ephesians of his calling. The Greek word “dispensation” means management or administration. In other words, the Lord gave Paul the task of telling the Gentiles about God’s grace. He emphasizes that his message isn’t something he made up or imagined—he received it straight from the horse’s mouth. God himself revealed it to him.

Twice, Paul uses the word “mystery” to describe the message he preaches. This term doesn’t refer to what typically comes to mind when we use it. Verse 5 gives us a clear definition: a truth of God hidden in the past but now revealed by the Holy Spirit. Throughout history, God gradually disclosed more and more details of his plan of salvation.

In the next verses, Paul summarizes what this “mystery” is, but we’ll pause here before this post gets too long and you start checking your watch (or phone these days). I would like us to focus on Paul’s attitude towards his imprisonment. No doubt it caused him much suffering and discomfort, yet he refuses to dwell on this fact. Instead, the only thing that matters to him is preaching the message of God’s grace, and if prison is the result, then so be it. The Gospel is worth being thrown into prison for because of its significance: it’s the only way for mankind to reconcile with our Creator.

Do you agree with Paul? Would you be willing to go to prison for the Gospel?