²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

Verse 22 is a quotation of Psalm 8:6. Verses 22 to 23 continue the thought of Jesus’ exaltation above any other authority.

And He put all things under His feet,

The second manifestation of what God did in Christ (in addition to seating Him on the right) is to place “all things” under His feet. This is Jesus’ dominion over everything. He made Christ head over all creation (Eph 1:10), which will be fully manifested in the future. Jesus is Lord and supreme over the cosmos. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

“Put under” is a military term carrying the idea of subjecting, to put under authority. There is a chain of command in God’s order of things. King Jesus will rule the world in time and eternity

and gave Him

The Greek order of these words is emphatic. God makes a strong point about Jesus’ authority over the church.

to be head over all things to the church,

The third manifestation of God’s power in Christ is His employment of Christ as head of the church. “Head” connotes prominence, honor, and rulership.

This is the first reference to the church in Ephesians.

PRINCIPLE:

Christ’s supremacy over the church benefits His body, the church.

APPLICATION:

The Father made all creation subject to Christ. Further, the Father appointed Christ as head over the church (Eph 4:15; 5:23; Co 1:18).

The supremacy of Christ’s sovereign status is important for the believer to see (1 Co 15:25-27). The first Adam failed to rule over his creation; the last Adam will succeed in ruling over all creation or cosmic reality. Everything one day will be subordinated to the exalted Christ.