For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
A few times Paul uses this connecting phrase: "for this reason"; it is the natural flow of how God does things. Paul views his presence in prison as part of his stewardship, this position of responsibility which often was held by slaves - like Joseph in Potiphar's house. He was "under house arrest," which for a travelin' man like Paul may have seemed like a punishment. But he did not view it that way. It was giving him time to write to them and to others about the mystery. Being there made him pause to be able to step back and see the plan of God, this mystery that God had been giving hints about for centuries, but now, with Christ's coming, is much more clear. God's plan brings together Jews and Gentiles to share in Christ's inheritance, as members of His household, possessors of His promises. As a steward of this Good News in this House, Paul has the view to see all the details. He writes so they, and we, can perceive these insights, so we can understand who we are and how we fit in. For him, prison was not a punishment, but an opportunity.
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