Paul writes:

“Therefore I ask that you not become discouraged over my tribulations for your sake, which redound to your glory.”
Eph 3:13

Is everything clear?

He has just described at length that believers from the Gentiles (the non-Jewish peoples) hold, in the spirit, the same position as believers from Israel. He is speaking of the community he founded, of the body of Christ. In earlier posts in this series, we discussed at length the two groups within this community.

This is not about Jews or Gentiles in general, but about two groups within the communities that arose (and this is important) through Paul’s proclamation. It is not about arbitrary Jewish or Gentile believers, but specifically about those called out through Paul’s proclamation. They are the ones addressed by this letter. These two groups were now spiritually leveled and had “in one Spirit, access to the Father” (Eph 2:18; Eph 3:12).

Paul writes two things here as he concludes this part of his address:

1. They should not become discouraged “over my tribulations for your sake.”
2. These tribulations should even redound to the hearers’ glory.

What is this about? Who is meant here, and what is the apostle speaking of? Is this merely pious talk, or is the apostle speaking of concrete things? Why should the hearers not be discouraged, and what does it mean that the trouble Paul experiences even bestows glory on the hearers? Do we still understand these words? What do we picture when we read them?

The readers of the letter should not be discouraged. It is the churches to which the circular letter is addressed. As explained earlier, this was a circular letter with no specific addressees. The phrase “in Ephesus” was added only later. This note is found scribbled in the margin of the Codex Vaticanus. It was not part of the text.

Paul is not addressing us, but rather these churches to which the letter is being delivered by Tychicus. Today, we would simply send a letter by mail. That is anonymous. Back then, someone delivered the letter in person, sometimes even as a personal messenger. This messenger could also explain the letter to the people who were intended to receive it.

This was also the case with this letter. Tychicus was the messenger. He could provide additional context for the letter. As a result, the recipients had two sources: Paul’s letter and the information from Tychicus, whom they could ask questions (Eph 6:21–24).

Paul knew challenges. When Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians, he was imprisoned in Rome. He could not travel as he had been accustomed to doing extensively. So he was unable to reach the communities he knew except through his letters and occasional personal messages through travelers.

For today’s community, this is a stroke of luck, because it meant Paul’s proclamation was recorded in writing and preserved and passed on to later generations. He was imprisoned, but he could rent a place to stay himself. He could not go out, but he could invite people to come to him. And that he did extensively (Acts 28:30-31). Although his imprisonment stood under Roman oversight, Paul himself held a different perspective. In the letter to the Ephesians, he describes it as follows:

“Therefore I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you, who are of the Gentiles!”
Eph 3:1

“I therefore appeal to you—I, the prisoner in the Lord!”
Eph 4:1

Paul saw himself as a prisoner, indeed, but not of Rome—rather as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus.” Moreover, he saw himself as a “prisoner in the Lord.” This position is quite different from what one might expect. Already the opening sentence of this post becomes clearer:

“Therefore I ask that you not become discouraged over my tribulations for your sake, which redounds to your glory.”
Eph 3:13

The tribulations, so the apostle writes, are “for your sake.” He had already declared this at the beginning of chapter three. He is a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the believers from the Gentiles. What befalls Paul is, by his own assessment in the letter, “for your sake.” His imprisonment is meant to be useful. That is remarkable.

Paul begins this verse with a word of comfort for the communities. They should “not become discouraged.” He does not mean this in general, but regarding their assessment of how the apostle is faring. They should not become discouraged “over my tribulations for your sake.”

Paul can evidently count on the empathy of his hearers. Even though this letter was not addressed to a single community, it should nonetheless be understood as a circular letter. Perhaps it went to the communities where Paul had traveled the most. That was, in his day, Asia Minor, roughly present-day Turkey. There the apostle was well known. He had not only taught but had also lived among the people. It is understandable that some were troubled by Paul’s imprisonment.

It also seems quite likely that travelers asked after the apostle’s welfare. This is roughly how one can understand the close of the letter to the Ephesians, where Paul states:

“So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.”
Eph 6:21-22

Against this backdrop, the apostle counters with the statement that they should not be discouraged for his sake. It appears to be an expression of mutual concern and genuine empathy.

Why is this observation important? Situating the text within its context should prevent us from too hastily claiming every word of comfort for ourselves. After all, Paul did not write directly to us, but to the communities in Asia Minor and elsewhere, and in a different time. Before we interpret the text for practical application today, we should understand what Paul’s concern actually was.

We can, of course, apply texts to our own lives. But that is an interpretation that only comes at the end. For an authentic engagement with the Bible, it is first about the text, then about the text in context, and only after that about an application for today. If we skip the first two steps, an arbitrary interpretation quickly arises—one that has nothing to do with us and even less to do with Paul. I find it important to emphasize this because many people are used to reading backward from today into that time rather than the other way around.

If we want to be encouraged ourselves, that is understandable. If we would like to use the Bible for that purpose, that too is understandable. But being aware that the Bible is not a commentary on our lives today allows for useful reflection. This raises the question of how the Bible speaks today. Thinking this through and then also allowing ourselves to be encouraged by the Bible in a transferred sense is an enrichment.

The end of this verse is unfamiliar to modern ears. Paul wrote:

“Therefore I ask that you not become discouraged over my tribulations for your sake, which redounds to your glory.”
Eph 3:13

“Which redounds to your glory.” What does that mean, and what does this statement refer to? Glory is a particular thing in the Bible. The word describes how something is interpreted. It has to do with understanding. It is the opinion held by someone or by a group (the Greek verb dokeo is used, for example, in Luke 8:18; Matt 3:9).

The word glory itself (Greek doxa) is mentioned again in the same chapter, in its final verse (Eph 3:21). It is a particularly positive depiction. One could see it as the epitome of the understanding of faith, according to which glory or glorification is the logical accompaniment of God and Christ.

This same word is thus applied here to the readership. What, then, redounds to their “glory”? Two things emerge from the context: either it is Paul’s challenges that redound to their glory, or it is their attitude toward them. These words of Paul seem most clearly to point to the readers’ attitude. It works like this: if they are not discouraged, this serves their glory.

It is as though Paul were writing something like, “Don’t hang your heads, for this is how you stand in the fullness of faith.” That makes good sense, both against the background of Paul’s message and considering the readers’ concern for how the apostle was faring.

Paul does not write theological treatises that indulge in ethics or theory. He describes his faith, lives it out, and stands in living exchange with other believers. Faith is (also) lived and shaped in community. This flashes out in this verse.

When Paul asks the readers not to become discouraged, he shares in their concerns. Yet he frees them from this by not placing himself at the center. Nor does it do us any good when we place ourselves at the center. Paul shows, however, that his “tribulations for your sake” are not grave stories of suffering that he piously endures. Rather, they should not become discouraged, for that would shape their faith in a far more credible way.

What remains now is this part of the verse: the readers were not to become discouraged over Paul’s tribulations for their sake. Is Paul’s distress somehow of benefit to the readers? Two things stand out:

1. The tribulations are not about Paul but about the readers.
2. The tribulations are not specified further.

With the first point, Paul redirects attention from himself to the readers. With the second point, he sidesteps the concrete challenges by not naming them. This means these challenges do not carry the weight they might have for Paul himself. Paul does mention tribulations, but he does not talk about them.

By way of comparison, imagine breaking a leg, receiving a new medical diagnosis, losing your job, or otherwise finding yourself in a threatening situation. What do you talk about, and with whom? Paul does not see himself or the challenges as the center of the story. It is neither about him nor about the situation either. He deliberately chooses a different perspective.
This different perspective is directly connected to his task and therefore also to this letter. His task is not to talk about himself; rather, he keeps the community in view. This also corresponds to the prayer that follows in the same chapter.

That his tribulations are now “for your sake” is a deliberate way of seeing things. The text does not go into detail. Should we nonetheless reflect on this? That would probably serve little purpose. Perhaps it is much simpler: whatever befalls Paul, he receives from God’s hand. He can thus assume that everything makes sense for his ministry. That is how the tribulations are “for your sake.” One might also think here of what he writes in the next chapter:

“But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”
Eph 4:15

Undoubtedly, this attitude was one the apostle lived out day to day. He is not unimportant, and elsewhere he also asks for prayer (Eph 6:18), but in his stance of faith he wants to be genuine. That is why it is not he himself, but his mission and his vision—and thus the readers—that stand at the center.

Could this be a word of encouragement for you and your task?