There’s a verse in Ephesians 3 which, no matter how often I read it, never ceases to amaze me. It always catches my attention . . . always causes me to pause and consider . . . always evokes that great theological response of awe, “Wow!”

” . . . to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be make known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:10)

There’s some schooling going on in the heavenlies . . . God making known His wisdom, His supreme intelligence. The nature of this wisdom is “manifold” it is literally “much variegated, marked with a great variety of colors” . . . like a large, precious, flawless diamond that, when held up to the light at different angles, displays a different brilliance and beauty. It is a like a finely woven tapestry . . . intricately woven, magnificently detailed, wonderfully colored.

And who receives this schooling on the manifold wisdom of God . . . who are His students? The classroom consists of the principalities and powers. The angelic realm, both those doing God’s bidding and those in open rebellion to God . . . both being subject to this color-packed display of the wisdom and ways of God. They have front row seats, as they peer over the balcony of heaven and observe this great object lesson. The evidence of it also being seen in heaven itself, gathered around the throne, voices joined in praise to the Lamb and to the Father who sits upon the throne.

And what is this object lesson? What is worthy to effectively and accurately demonstrate the multi-faceted, glorious wisdom of God? What could God possibly hold up to angelic beings and say, “There! That’s it! You want to catch the eternal wonder of how I think? Look there . . . and keep looking . . . keeping turning it over in the light to see yet another aspect of My divine wisdom . . . look closely at how it evidences My thoughts above all thoughts . . . how it declares My ways which are above all ways!” So, what is it?

It is the Church. The company of “called out ones”. Those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. Those who have been made new creations in Christ. Those who would be known simply as “sinners saved by grace.” A rag, tag bunch of “works in progress”. Pilgrims stumbling on their way home. Members of a body trying to figure out how to fit and work together. Living stones being chiseled and fitted into a spiritual building where God desires to dwell through His Spirit. Lights trying to shine in darkness. Sheep who have heard the Great Shepherd’s voice. Prodigals who have come to their senses and have come back home. You get the idea . . . the list goes on . . . there are any number of ways we, as the church, are described in Scripture . . . God’s inheritance . . . a royal priesthood . . . children of God . . . like I said, it goes on.

Pick up the diamond of the church and hold it up to the light and another facet shines forth . . . another aspect to be appreciated . . . another face to be viewed in awe as we consider that we are an object lesson to the heavenlies. That somehow God uses us to encapsulate and display His divine Wisdom.

And boy, don’t we know that it’s not about us. Not about how well we’ve “cleaned up” . . . not about the degree to which we have it all together. No, it’s all about the mystery of God’s plan to redeem those He loves. The wisdom of a God who would chose a man, and then a nation, through which we would seek to bless all people. That He would send His Son to become flesh and pay the once-for-all price to atone for our sin. That, through resurrection, death and sin might be defeated. That, through the wooing of the Spirit and our exercise of feeble faith, we might be made children of God . . . that we might be formed into the church of God . . . that we might display the manifold wisdom of God . . . to a heavenly host . . . in a heavenly classroom . . . to bring glory to our heavenly Father.

Like I said before, “Wow!”