Friday 23 August 2024

Psalm 148

Background
The letter to the Colossians describes Paul as its author. However, differences in style, theology and vocabulary mean that some biblical scholars speculate that Timothy (v. 1) may have been the writer under Paul’s guidance, or that someone else in in Paul’s circle may have penned it in his name. Nevertheless, Paul’s experience and theology shape it decisively.

Today’s passage begins with reference to Paul’s ‘sufferings’ for the sake of the Christians in Colossae and begins a section (Colossians 1:24 – 2:5) describing Paul's ministry and his love for the Colossians and all believers, demonstrated by his willingness to suffer so they might benefit. The nature of the sufferings is not detailed here, but elsewhere in the letter it says he's imprisoned (Colossians 4:3; 4:18).

While to a modern reader this might look uncomfortably self-important, it was a common rhetorical device in the ancient world. Speakers or writers would point to the kind of person they were, and their goodwill towards their hearers, as evidence that their arguments could be trusted. A central purpose of the letter to the Colossians is to convince them to resist ‘false teaching’ and hold fast to faith in Christ and his gospel. This section is about establishing Paul’s character, so that the arguments for holding fast would carry weight.

The notion that in his suffering, Paul is ‘completing what is lacking’ in Christ’s suffering (v. 24) has troubled scholars. There can be no sense in which Christ’s sacrifice for humanity needs to be supplemented, and so various explanations have been suggested for what the author means. A persuasive line of thinking is that this verse needs to be seen in light of the double reference to reconciliation in the previous section (Colossians 1:20; 22). Just as Christ’s reconciliation of all creation (1:20) is bound up with and exemplified in the reconciliation of the Colossians (1:22), so Paul is caught up in this reconciliation in his sufferings on behalf of the Colossians, as they themselves are enfolded in the cosmic reconciliation of all things in Christ.

To Ponder:

• What gives you confidence that a person’s words or arguments can be trusted?  Does this alter depending on the kind of person they are and their role (eg preacher, politician, friend)? If so, why might that be?
• What helps you make sense of suffering – your own or that of others?

Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Carole Irwin
Carole is a presbyter and has served in circuits in Kent and Bradford, and on the staff of Wesley House. She is currently stationed in the Cambridge Circuit and is leading a research project for a Christian community of people with and without intellectual disabilities, of which she is also a member.