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Listen "Friday the 1st day of April, the 31st day of Lent. Colossians 1:15-20. In Praise of Jesus Christ "
Episode Synopsis
In Praise of Jesus Christ
15 He is the image of God, the invisible one, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For in him all things were created, in the heavens and here on the earth.
Things we can see and things we cannot, – thrones and lordships and rulers and powers –
all things were created both through him and for him.
17 And he is ahead, prior to all else and in him all things hold together;
18 and he himself is supreme, the Head over the body, the church.
He is the start of it all, firstborn from realms of the dead; so in all things he might be the chief.
19 For in him all the Fullness was glad to dwell 20 and through him to reconcile all to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross,
through him – yes, things on the earth, and also the things in the heavens.
As we continue our journey towards the cross and Easter, I wanted to take time yesterday and today to look at two passages outside of the gospels that explicitly talk about who Jesus is.
Today we are looking at a poem written in Paul's letter to the Colossians, in Praise of Jesus Christ.
If you heard there was a TV program coming out and it was called "This is the head," you could draw many conclusions about what the show would be about before you saw it.
Could it be a program about archaeology, with people looking at the human remains of a skeleton? Or it could be a show looking for a new head of operations. Or it could be a program about a grand river, and the river's source is the Head.
There are many possibilities, and most likely the show wouldn't be about any of these, and proceed to talk about the importance of shampoo!
The point is, there are many different meanings for the word Head, and this poem that we are now looking at is based on different meanings in Hebrew for the word Head.
Jesus Christ is the firstborn (Vs. 15 and 18)
Jesus Christ is Supreme (translated here to Ahead)
Jesus Christ is the Head of the church.
Jesus Christ is the beginning.
This poem is beautifully balanced, and as we listen to it, we can see that Paul was trying to tell the Colossians something, but what is it?
They need to know above all if they are to grow as Christians, increasing in wisdom, power, patience, and thanksgiving through the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ.
It is worth going slowly through the poem and pondering the depths of the meanings that are to be found in it.
There are three in particular that the poem points to.
First, by looking at Jesus, we discover who God is.
God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus. ... But now we do.
Second, Jesus holds together the old world and new, creation and new creation.
What we know in this world is sometimes beautiful and wonderful, but it has been corrupted by sin and evil. God's new Kingdom will have everything laid out as God had planned it. Jesus is the Head of our wonderful new creation.
Third, Jesus is therefore the blueprint for the genuine humanness which is on offer in the Gospel.
As the Head of the body, the church; as the first to rise again from the dead; as the one through whom new creation has begun; Jesus is indeed the one in whom we are called to discover what true humanness means to practice.
As we listen again, take time to allow the poem's rhythms to grow in your heart.
Allow the deep meanings of the poem to infiltrate your heart.
Music: Simon Wester (Used With Permission)
15 He is the image of God, the invisible one, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For in him all things were created, in the heavens and here on the earth.
Things we can see and things we cannot, – thrones and lordships and rulers and powers –
all things were created both through him and for him.
17 And he is ahead, prior to all else and in him all things hold together;
18 and he himself is supreme, the Head over the body, the church.
He is the start of it all, firstborn from realms of the dead; so in all things he might be the chief.
19 For in him all the Fullness was glad to dwell 20 and through him to reconcile all to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross,
through him – yes, things on the earth, and also the things in the heavens.
As we continue our journey towards the cross and Easter, I wanted to take time yesterday and today to look at two passages outside of the gospels that explicitly talk about who Jesus is.
Today we are looking at a poem written in Paul's letter to the Colossians, in Praise of Jesus Christ.
If you heard there was a TV program coming out and it was called "This is the head," you could draw many conclusions about what the show would be about before you saw it.
Could it be a program about archaeology, with people looking at the human remains of a skeleton? Or it could be a show looking for a new head of operations. Or it could be a program about a grand river, and the river's source is the Head.
There are many possibilities, and most likely the show wouldn't be about any of these, and proceed to talk about the importance of shampoo!
The point is, there are many different meanings for the word Head, and this poem that we are now looking at is based on different meanings in Hebrew for the word Head.
Jesus Christ is the firstborn (Vs. 15 and 18)
Jesus Christ is Supreme (translated here to Ahead)
Jesus Christ is the Head of the church.
Jesus Christ is the beginning.
This poem is beautifully balanced, and as we listen to it, we can see that Paul was trying to tell the Colossians something, but what is it?
They need to know above all if they are to grow as Christians, increasing in wisdom, power, patience, and thanksgiving through the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ.
It is worth going slowly through the poem and pondering the depths of the meanings that are to be found in it.
There are three in particular that the poem points to.
First, by looking at Jesus, we discover who God is.
God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus. ... But now we do.
Second, Jesus holds together the old world and new, creation and new creation.
What we know in this world is sometimes beautiful and wonderful, but it has been corrupted by sin and evil. God's new Kingdom will have everything laid out as God had planned it. Jesus is the Head of our wonderful new creation.
Third, Jesus is therefore the blueprint for the genuine humanness which is on offer in the Gospel.
As the Head of the body, the church; as the first to rise again from the dead; as the one through whom new creation has begun; Jesus is indeed the one in whom we are called to discover what true humanness means to practice.
As we listen again, take time to allow the poem's rhythms to grow in your heart.
Allow the deep meanings of the poem to infiltrate your heart.
Music: Simon Wester (Used With Permission)
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