God’s Wisdom

Colossians 1: 11-20 (November 21, 2010)

1) The Text

11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

2) The Context

Colossae was a city in what is now southwestern Turkey. It had flourishing wool and textile industries and a significant Jewish population. It seems that most Christians there were Gentile. Although long thought to be written by Paul, today this epistle is considered non-Pauline for a number of reasons. The most compelling is that it emphasizes what God has already done for his people: Paul tells us what God is going to do in the future (although some argue that Paul shifted his viewpoint in later life.) It gives descriptions of false teachings which were being promulgated in the churches. Some scholars consider this evidence of later authorship. In the ancient world, writing in the name of a respected author was accepted and regarded as an honor.

This passage is part of a larger section dealing with the person and work of Christ, 1:3-23, that seeks to establish the credentials of Jesus. Christ's preeminence over the created order, his authority over the church, and his prime function of reconciling all creation to himself, confirms the security of our standing in the presence of the living God.

3) Interpretation

In the two verses before this passage (1:9-10), we read what the author announces as his prayer for his hearers. It is not about ideals for which to strive by our own efforts, but about living in a way that both produces fruit and provides nourishment which makes fruit possible. While this applies as much to individuals as to groups, what follows broadens the vista to something much wider that involves the whole world. The focus is on a strong sense of belonging and for a purpose. The belonging is not a kind of passive membership, but engagement in a struggle which is fundamental to life. We have moved from being driven by powers opposite to God and love and good to become participants in a stream of goodness that flows from God (1:13). The author speaks of the kingdom or reign described as a sphere of power and influence which expresses itself by changing things. Part of that change includes forgiveness of sins (1:14). Part of being able to move spheres is the recognition of and facing up to the fact that one has been serving other gods, other priorities, than what is good for others and oneself.

The vision expands further in the carefully crafted verses which follow in 1:15-20. Their substance takes us right to the heart of God and the universe. The Christ whom we follow is not just a religious figure who was raised from the dead. Rather, he embodies both what humanity was made to be (the image of God) and simultaneously embodies God's wisdom. Christ embodies the very wisdom which makes sense of the universe and helped set it in motion. These are big claims. But they are ways of avoiding the trivial sectarianism which turns Jesus into a religious hero of a cult. Instead what we meet in Jesus takes us to the heart of God and the universe and its meaning.

The focus is not just on beginnings but on endings. The chaotic state of disjunction and estrangement which characterizes the universe out of harmony with its creator is something Christ came to set right. So 1:18-20 takes us beyond creation to the events of Christ's life. His message of reconciliation was, again, not about getting a few human beings forgiven, but about creating something much larger, a genuine reconciliation which would reverse the effects of the alienation which the gods of hate and greed have caused and cause. The author asserts that God deliberately resolved to be engaged fully in this act (1:19). It interprets the resurrection as a symbol of a new beginning. Christ is the firstborn not only of creation as God's wisdom and word (1:15) but also from the dead (1:18). In that sense he leads the way to reconciliation and renewal (1:19).

Deep within this line of thought we find an allusion to the church (1:18). At one level it seems out of place. Is the author really suggesting that the church with Christ as its head is going to swallow up everything and have the universe at its feet? Perhaps these verses offer a new definition of what it means to be church. In the best sense church is where the reconciling compassion of God is making some headway and is recognized and valued as such. This leaves no room for pretensions. Our joy is then not the power of influence and control, but that love flows and change happens. It is when destructive powers, including those gilded with religious sanction, lose their deity and people see that what matters is love because love lies at the heart of the universe and is God's wisdom and will.

4) Thought Exercise

How has God’s wisdom guided your life?

How is Pilgrim Church a place of compassion?