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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Col. 1-2
The Old Testament is full of festivals, rituals, and regulations. God established a lot of specifics for His people, the Jews. But all those specifics were never really the point. You could say they were actually the pointer. The Jews, along with everything that God established for them and through them, were God’s chosen instrument, His pen and paper, if you will, to paint us a picture and tell us a story of our impossible need and His sure solution. Paul explained it concisely by saying, “These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.” (Col. 2:17).
Thus, when people get caught up in those specifics, even if well intentioned, they lose sight of the point, which is Christ. As a result, they end up serving self rather than God. As an example of this, have you ever tried to set aside some ‘quiet time’ – Whether attempting to honor a Sabbath time or devote yourself to prayer or studying the Bible – just to be alone with God? Have you then noticed that your efforts to carve out that sacred time become fraught with interruptions? How should we respond to those interruptions? Or, more importantly, to the interrupters? Our natural tendency is frustration and lashing out. And when we give in to that natural tendency, we find ourselves serving our flesh.
Trying to honor a Sabbath, a quiet time of rest with God, or study His word, or spend time in earnest prayer are all good things. However, we need to be careful not to serve the practices themselves. Remember what Jesus asked the Jewish leaders. “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (Lk. 6:9b). Getting mad and lashing out are clearly on the side of evil and destruction. We also need to remember what Paul says here, to keep things in proper perspective. Of all those religious regulations, he said, “Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.” (Col. 2:23).
Col. 3-4
Paul made a statement in Colossians 3:3 that made me stop and think. He said, “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” What does that really mean? Based on context, it seems primarily to have to do with the fact that we no longer live for the seen, but for the unseen. The tangible things of this earthly life that drive most people’s actions should no longer have influence on us. Therefore, we live this life – which we are now dead to – differently. The concept goes hand-in-hand with storing up your treasures in heaven. Our choices and actions may not make sense or reap any obvious benefit here and now because they come from a place that can’t be seen here and now.
But why “hidden”? That seems to say more than merely unseen. It carries with it a connotation of protection. It’s as if God hides us as His most precious possessions, so that nothing can touch us. Not the physical, in the flesh form of us, but the alive in Christ form. That’s why Paul says in Romans that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can take away the life we now have in Christ Jesus. And I think it is this truth that enables us to live the boldly different earthly lives that Paul describes to the Colossians.
Phlm. 1
This situation with Philemon and Onesimus paints in interesting little picture of our salvation. Onesimus separated from Philemon as a slave, encountered Paul, then returned to Philemon as so much more than a slave. Like Onesimus, we were separated from God for a brief time so that He could get us back permanently (vs. 15). When Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, he pleaded, “welcome him as you would me.” (vs. 17b). Furthermore, Paul told Philemon to charge anything Onesimus owed to his own account. So Jesus, when He brings us back to God, pays what we owe so that God might receive us as His own Son. Finally, like Onesimus, though we were once useless to our Master, we are now useful to our loving Father.