“Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men’” (Eph. 4:8).
Paul again returns to the theme of the victorious Christ at the right hand of the Father, pouring out blessing on His church. You may recall that Jesus told His disciples that His departure was actually an advantage for them. When He returned to His Father’s presence, He would pour out abundant blessing (John 14:12-14).
Paul quotes Psalm 68:18, a passage that was associated with Pentecost in the synagogue lectionary. In their original context the Psalmist pictures the Lord returning in triumph after the overthrow of Israel’s enemies. Captive enemies were often forced to follow the conquering hero as part of his triumphal procession.
The actual words of the Psalm have been altered from “received gifts” to “gave gifts.” Calvin and other early commentators argue that Paul intentionally altered the language to apply it to the triumph of Christ. Others think the change may have been made before the writing of Ephesians and that these words may have been from an early Christian hymn.
Whatever the reason for the alteration, we can affirm that the victorious ascension of Christ made possible the outpouring of gifts and the empowering of the church. Grace is once again underlined by the affirmation that our victorious King gave gifts.
Prayer: Thank You for gifting me for service. Help me to find my place in your body. Amen.