3. Having been imprisoned at Rome by order of the emperor, Paul thus
consoles his beloved converts at Ephesus, admonishing them to cleave
to the doctrine learned from him; not to be frightened from it by
beholding his fate, nor permit themselves to be alienated by such
comment as this: "This man Paul in his preaching to you made great
pretentions to being commissioned of Christ himself, and to outdoing
all the other apostles. And you made your boast in him and relied
upon him as if he were the only and all-deserving one. Where is he
now? What assistance can he render you? There he lies in Rome, by the
Jews condemned to death; more than that, he is in the hands of that
cruel tyrant, Emperor Nero. Did we not long ago tell you he would
meet such fate? Presumably this puts an end to his boastings over
every other man."
4. To prevent the offense that threatened, Paul writes from his
prison, and his message is, in effect, this: "Dear friends, you see I
am imprisoned; the devil and the world have me in their hands. This
may perhaps alarm you, and rouse in you the evil suspicion, 'If his
doctrine were all right and if he were the great apostle of Christ he
claims to be, God would not permit him to suffer such fate.'" For
some of the false apostles thus taunted Paul's disciples. "But I
entreat and exhort you," Paul would say, "not to be offended, or
alarmed, not to grow faint, though I am in prison. Whether we be
tempted and suffer tribulation, whether we be honored or dishonored,
no matter what comes, only cleave to the doctrine I have preached to
you--the Gospel, God's sure Word, as you know." He reminds them, as
before he has done, of that whereunto God has called them, and of
what they have received through his preaching.
5. Such admonition is still, and will ever be, necessary in the
Christian community. The weak must endure severe conflicts in the
tribulations the Gospel inevitably entails. The trial is especially
hard when they must lose their leaders and teachers, and in addition
hear the shameful, bitter taunts of the calumniators. We in this day
have to expect that some will be offended when teachers are assailed.
We should therefore be prepared, and when any of our number fall away
from our faith to flatter tyrants and the Pope, and to become liars
and knaves, we must individually lay hold of the Gospel in a way to
enable us to stand and say: "Not because a certain one has so taught,
do I believe. It matters not what becomes of him or what he may be,
the doctrine itself is right. This I know, whatever God may permit to
befall myself or others because of it."