In tonight’s reading from Colossians Paul lays it all simply and , clear to the church at Colosse Jesus is the image of the invisible God, Jesus is the creator of all things, Jesus is the one who holds all things together, Jesus is the one in whom was God’s fullness dwelt and Jesus is the one in whom we were reconciled to God by.
Paul here lays out very clear and very blatant truths about Jesus. When you read it you get the impression that it came out of him as worship, natural and heartfelt and to the one who was worthy to receive such worship. Very different from the person who once tried to kill any who worshiped Jesus. Paul now knows the truth about Jesus, it brings joy to him and consumes him to tell all others about it. Also very different from the person on the road to
- Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
The word image here is the Greek word eikon (i-kone) and means an image, figure or likeness. That same word is used in Matthew 22:20 when Jesus is given a roman coin and says. “Whose portrait is this?” It was Ceasers, it was not Ceaser him self but his image if you had seen that coin then you would know what Ceaser looked like, if you had seen Jesus then you would know what God looked like. Jesus was the portrait of the invisible God.
In Hebrews we learn that Jesus is the radiance of god’s glory and the exact representation of His being.
In 2nd Corinthians we again have Jesus being described as the image of God
From these passages we learn that Jesus accurately and fully expresses the being and perfection of God. Today by looking at Jesus as he is reveled in the Bible we can know the invisible god. We don’t have to go searching for God he has made himself clearly visible.
In the Bible we read of other peoples encounters with God. Ezekiel saw a man who looked like he was glowing metal, surrounded by creatures with many wings and eyes and devices that were wheels within wheels. John in revelation saw a man with hair like wool, eyes on fire, feet of bronze and a voice like rushing water. Moses was not allowed to see God fully but only saw his back – yet Moses face glowed and he had to wear a veil as the glowing upset the Israelites.
Here though we have Jesus who shows what God is like without the need to metaphors or similes. Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
Next we read on that Jesus is…
- Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.
From this word firstborn some have incorrectly theorized that Jesus is a created being. But this is opposed to all the rest of what Scripture has to say about Jesus, in fact it is opposed to the very next sentence Paul writes about Jesus. The Jehovahs Witnesses leap upon this verse and in their travesty of a translation they add words into that sentence to make it fit. Paul wrote that All things were created on Heaven and on earth and that Jesus is before all things and he holds all things together. If Jesus was created then ALL things could not have been created by him as He is a thing. The witnesses add the word other after the word all to tie up with their heresy.
Firstborn is used elsewhere in Scripture as a metaphor to describe the rank and privilege as being the one who is first born without actually being the firstborn. Unlike today when our kids ask us who you love the most and we answer we love you both just the same. In the Bible times while the love may have been the same the firstborn certainly had more rights and power than the younger siblings.
So as a metaphor the National of Israel was called the Lords firstborn in Exodus 4:22 although they were not the first nation to exist, in Psalm 89 King David who was the youngest of 8 was called the firstborn, and he was not the first King either.
Here by Paul calling Jesus the firstborn over all creation, he is not saying He was created first but that Jesus is above all creation and has the rights “as if he was the firstborn”
We continue with what Paul wrote and as mentioned before we see that
- Jesus is the Creator of all things.
And when I say all things I mean ALL things, nothing exists that He did not create – and that includes you and me. I love astronomy and am constantly amazed by he beauty that Jesus has put into the heavens and in the world around us
- All things were created for Jesus
This is interesting because according to this not only did Jesus create all things – but all things were created for Him – we are not the reason for creation – Jesus is! Bit of a blow to the ego but it is a truth we must all remember Jesus is the centre of all.
- In him all things hold together.
He keeps the universe together and with out him all things would fall into chaos or worse fall back into nothingness and void. The laws of physics gravity, the dance of the planets, molecules and atoms He is the one who keeps it all going. Without him we would truly have and indeed be nothing.
- He is the head of the church.
Not just our resp, not just the Anglican denomination but the whole church, every Christian everywhere, the universal church. Every believer that is and was and ever will be he is the head, the one who has the rank and authority over us all. As you would expect from the one we call our Lord.
- The beginning and the firstborn from the dead.
Again that word firstborn. Jesus was not the first to rise from the dead Lazarus was brought back to life for starters – but Jesus was the first – the beginning of the Resurrection. Resurrection is not just a resuscitation back to life – Lazarus did indeed die again – it is the changing of our physical bodies which perish into our spiritual bodies which are eternal. Jesus in 1 Corinthians is called the first fruits – the cream of the crop – of the resurrection – he is the beginning and has the authority and rights to it as the firstborn.
And now we come to verse 19 – one of the most awesome statements about Jesus ever – the one that puts away all confusion about him and just lays it out flat.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
This goes beyond Jesus being an image or portrait of god – this lays it out clear. God’s fullness dwelt in Jesus. God did not partly inhabit Jesus, Jesus was 100% God incarnate – God in human form. Born, lived, died God at all times in a physical body. Yet still something was being dwelt in –Jesus was still a human. He was 100% human and 100% God. I know that adds up to 200% but that is the miracle of the incarnation.
And what did this God do? What purpose did God make himself in human form?
He came according to verse 20, he came so that through him all things may be reconciled to himself by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.
Jesus who is the very portrait of God, Jesus who is the creator of all, Jesus who is above all things and holds all things together by his power, Jesus who has the rank and authority and rights to the church, the world, the universe to the spiritual realms, Jesus became incarnated as a human being in order to die, to pay the price of all of our sins with his blood on the cross.
Paul continues to the church at Colosse but he might as well have been speaking directly to us – We all were once enemies of god, shut out of intimacy from him like a prisoner transported from
During communion, with the bread we remember the physical body of Jesus that died for us, with the wine and juice we remember the blood that was shed on the cross. Remember… remember what Christ is – the firstborn, the creator, God himself, Remember what he did for you – the whipping, the beating the dieing. Remember what it is that you have done that has caused this to be needed and be thankful – be so thankful that he loved us all enough that while we were enemies, while we were alienated while we were still sinners he died for us.
His death paid the price for our sin. Nothing but the blood of Jesus could do it.
Eat, drink and be thankful, for our tomorrows he died.
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