This week week’s theme is “The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed” from Ephesians 3:1-21.

“Don’t gild the lily” is an old saying. To gild means to cover thinly with gold or give a false brilliance. This

saying apparently originated with Shakespeare (of course) and I only know this because of Google (of

course). Here’s an excerpt from the play King John, spoken by Salisbury, who may or may not also be

known for inventing a kind of steak:

To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,

To throw a perfume on the violet,…

Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

The point is that if you have something as perfectly beautiful as a lily or violet, trying to make it more

beautiful is unnecessary and silly. If we were trying to explain a good thing to somebody, but keep going

on and on and overselling it, they might say, “OK, I get it. No need to gild the lily.”

Sometimes when I read Paul’s letters, I struggle because of how dense his writing style seems to be (at

least to this layman). In our passage this week from Ephesians chapter three, he uses a lot of adjectives

to describe things. He speaks of holy apostles, incalculable riches, eternal purpose, confident access,

being firmly established, and God’s multi-faceted wisdom. Please know I’m not criticizing Paul, but I

confess I find myself sometimes thinking, “OK, Paul, I get it. No need to gild the lily.”

But then I thought about the time Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary.

Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped

His feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. (John 12:3 HCSB)

It may be folly to gild a lily or perfume a violet, but there is no amount of praise beyond what Jesus

deserves. Paul isn’t trying to gild or oversell the gospel; he’s just doing his best to describe something

that he himself said was indescribable:

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15 HCSB)

I think we are incapable of fully describing the gospel, or praising Jesus enough, because we’re too small

and God is too big. But I should follow the examples of both Paul and Mary and give it a shot anyway.

By Mark Stuart



Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob, and father-in-law of Bailey.