Ephesians 1:19-20

1:19

and – a third thing our enlightened eyes of the heart can know:

his ... power – the power of God expanded as follows

...incomparably great... – beyond comparison. Yet He holds it in check until I engage Him and His power

for us who believe – God’s power is not available to everyone, but only to believers, i.e., trusters in Christ, those who put their trust into action. I have no problem believing that God can work in my life. My problem comes in questioning whether He wants to help me. Or have I taken advantage of His grace, mercy and power too often and for too long?

is like – God’s power is beyond comparison; so Paul can only liken it to known acts of God, viz., one specific event

the working … mighty strength … exerted – compounding of synonyms to multiply emphasis on God’s power/strength. This is akin to the comparative or superlative case in English, only he uses synonyms to achieve the same effect

1:20

exerted in Christ – God did this (showed His superlative power) in Christ; He showed his beyond-comparison power in Christ

when – point in time

he – God

raised – resurrection, empty tomb, firstborn from the dead. If/since Christ is firstborn, He serves as guarantor that we/I too will join in His resurrection. But Paul is not developing a theology of resurrection here. Rather, he points to the resurrection of Christ as proof or evidence of God’s incomparably great power that is available to me

him – Christ

from the dead – I think I have heard and told the story so many times that I lose the amazement, the incredulity, of this event. The other Bible events that are similar (Lazarus, et al.) tell of people brought back to finite, mortal existence, only to die again at a later date. Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and promised resurrection of me and us, is of a completely different kind. This resurrection brought Jesus back in a body that appeared the same: recognized, tangible, physical ability to eat. Yet it was different: Pass through walls, never to die again. This awaits us and I forget it too often.

and – equally significant event to follow

seated him – as God the Father achieved the resurrection of Christ, so also God the Father is the actor/achiever of Christ’s exaltation

at his right hand [NLT: the place of honor] – Where was God the Son before the incarnation? Did He not yet possess the place of honor? This hints at mysteries we may never know. What I do know is that the resurrection and exaltation are inseparably linked to each other along with the incarnation, humiliation, suffering and death of God the Son. And I also know that it is a general Biblical principle that God raises the humble. I need to remember and apply this latter. As Satan often mocks me for lack of recognition, God reminds me that I am His servant. And God recognizes and honors in His own way and in His own time.

in the heavenly realms – Paul keeps returning to this. It suggests another sphere of activity—another reality—that may well be more real than where, when and how we currently live and move and have our being. In this other realm/reality, Christ—God the Son—reigns highly exalted at the right hand of God the Father, God of gods. This is the One I serve: The Ultimate Ruler of all the universe. I am His servant. Why do I even care about recognition or honor? It is my honor simply to know that He sees me as His servant.