Jesus, Lord over all (Colossians 1.15-20)

Jesus is Lord

Might the Colossians have been tempted to glorify earthly powers rather than the absolute supremacy of Jesus? Critics and commentators debate this at length. Whatever the background reason for this passage, which comes straight after his words of prayer for the Colossians, Paul has given us here a superb, highly exalted Christology. He may be quoting some accepted church hymn in praise of Jesus or this passage may reflect the height of Paul’s own meditations on Christ as Lord. In either case, we can only marvel at this description of the glory of Jesus over everything and everyone else. Clear references both to Greek and to Hellenised Jewish writers and philosophers gives the passage particular authority both for Jewish and for Gentile readers.

1.15 begins with an emphatic ‘He’ (Greek: hos) as the second in a series of three. “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness” (1.13), “He is the image of the invisible God” (1.15) and “He is the beginning, first-born from among the dead” (1.18). Paul’s emphasis on Jesus over all else is further underlined by his repeated use of another word for ‘He’ (Greek: autos) which comes 12 times in these six verses. What a model for us as Jesus’ disciples, that Jesus should be central and be emphasised in everything we are, in everything we think, in everything we say and in everything we do!

How can we work this out in our everyday lives in a secular society?

Lord over all creation (1.15-17)

Paul is concerned that Christ should be exalted above all material objects of worship. Moon festivals were celebrated among Jews at that time and sun-worship took central place in some Gentile religious practice. Worship of ‘Nature’ and the Earth Goddess also featured. Modern equivalents of such semi-religious beliefs still haunt our world today as we gain more and more understanding of, and control over, the universe. ‘Nature’ is almost personified and the world lives in fear of its power, manifested in floods, tornados, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Ecological concern can replace the Lord at the centre of our faith. God can become merely a useful tool to help us control the natural order!

But Jesus reigns above all creation. He is “the firstborn (Prototokos) of all creation” (1.15). The term ‘firstborn’ occurs well over a hundred times in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament. It carries the sense of priority and supremacy. Jesus is indeed “before all things” (1.17). He was with the Father in eternity before creation and he ranks above everything. Both in time and in status Jesus is ‘before’ all things.

Christ’s total superiority is further demonstrated by the fact that God created everything through him. He was God’s creative Word.  1.16 forcibly underlines that absolutely everything, with no exceptions, was created through him and therefore owes its existence to him. The whole creation was also “for him” (1.16; literally ‘unto him’). Creation is not of central importance in itself, nor does it exist for the welfare of humanity. It exists in order to please Christ Jesus and give him the honour he deserves!

In creating all things, Jesus arranged everything in perfect order. Even unbelieving scientists marvel at the miraculous design of the universe. And he continues to control and sustain every detail of his amazing workmanship, as we learn in the next verse. “In him all things hold together” (1.17). Jesus continues his oversight and care of everything, while his incredible balance and design demonstrates his brilliance.

As a new immature Christian at Oxford University I found myself having tutorials one-to-one with a learned strongly Marxist professor. In my unwise zeal I witnessed to him and sought to bring him to faith in Christ, while he was determined to undermine my faith. To my amazement, I found that my still untaught Christian beliefs ‘held together’ and made good sense against all his attacks, whereas his view of human nature lacked credibility. He finally conceded that ‘perhaps we both live by faith’! Colossians 1.17 remains to this day as a strong anchor for my faith in Christ.

All the above issues from the great statement at the outset of these verses: Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (1.15). God’s glorious magnificence makes it impossible for mere humanity to see him, but he has sent his Son to earth to make him known. Although Jesus came to us in human form and was entirely human, he is in his whole being entirely like the Father. He is the image (Greek: eikon) of God. In him the invisible God becomes visible. The unknowable God becomes knowable. O’ Brien rightly declares therefore that the word ‘image’ “emphasizes Christ’s relation to God” as his pre-existing Son, revealing the Father to us. And now wonderfully, through him, we too are being renewed ‘in the image of our Creator’ (3.10).

Lord over the church (1.18-20)

We note again Paul’s common picture of the church as a body with one head, Jesus himself. Even great apostles like Paul live on a level with all other members of the body. Jesus alone stands over us as our one head.

While the church in Colosse will have consisted of various house churches, they form together one church. Today too the church in your town or village will probably consist of various congregations of different denominations, together they form ‘the church’ there. All are equally under the one head, who alone exercises authority. He is “the beginning” (Greek: arche), the first both in authority and in time. He leads the way in the resurrection, being the ‘firstborn’ from among the dead (1.18; cf. 1.15). In him and through him we have a new life which is eternal. With that resurrection life, Jesus ‘has the supremacy in everything’ (1.18).

In him, as the image of God, all God’s fullness came to dwell. And through him God reconciled all things to himself. We notice again Paul’s tremendous emphasis on “him” and his work of reconciliation (1.20). God is so utterly holy and pure, so he cannot even “look on evil” or “tolerate wrong” (Habakkuk 1.13). God can only relate in any way to us, if we have been ‘reconciled to himself’ through Christ’s shed blood on the cross. Without our sin being washed away through Jesus’ sacrificial death, God cannot be reconciled with us.

The stupendous supremacy, majesty and unique brilliance of Jesus stands ahead of us and above us. He not only has the image of God; his very being is God’s image. He is the perfect creator of us all and of everything. He is the one head of the church, who has reconciled us with God. By his shed blood he has put aside the holy wrath of God against our sinfulness. Let us all make sure that he is Lord in our faith and life!

P.S. This weekend Elizabeth and I are due to be away for a celebratory weekend with our family, so I shall be missing a week with our blogs. I do apologise, but we only turn 90 once in a life-time!