Thursday 22 August 2024
And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him. (vs 21-22)
Background
These three verses of the letter to the Colossians (a small Christian community in the ancient Near East: modern-day Turkey) come after a poetic celebration of the person and work of Christ. (Colossians 1:15-20) Verses 15-20 are on a cosmic scale: in Christ "all things in heaven and on earth were created…and hold together". But they are also immediate and personal ("He is the head of the body, the church" – which includes the Christians in Colossae).
Today’s passage further reinforces the immediacy of what Christian faith claims about Jesus Christ, and its personal nature. It emphasises the transforming impact of his life, death and resurrection on those to whom the letter is written, addressing them directly: "You who were once estranged…he has now reconciled." (v. 21)
The before and after contrast of ‘estranged’ (or ‘far away’) and ‘reconciled’ is a common one in the New Testament epistles, particularly in those addressed to believers who had formerly been pagans, rather than those from the Jewish faith. It suggests that Christian faith involves a reorientation of one’s entire life and outlook (vs 21-22) and declares to the community in Colossae that this is what has happened in their own lives; and that this will continue, and mature – as long as they continue to put their faith in Christ and trust the gospel they have received.
There is a background to this assurance and admonition. Most biblical scholars think that the letter was written to address a risk that the Colossians might introduce into their Christian faith and practice elements of other religious traditions. This might possibly have included ascetic practices or ceremonial observation, (Colossians 2:16) encouraged by persuasive religious figures in the locality. (2:4) It was a common feature of the surrounding culture to take a very syncretistic approach to religious life: ‘pick-and-mix’, as it were.
The writer is assuring the Colossians that what God has done in Christ, for them and the whole created order, has completely changed their relationship to God, and changed the way God is present in the world. It in no way needs to be supplemented by adding in ‘extras’.
To Ponder:
- Many Christians grow up in the faith, rather than having a dramatic conversion as this passage suggests about the Colossian Christians. Do you think a lifelong faith involves the kind of fundamental reorientation described here? How might a ‘cradle Christian’ be able to identify it in their own life?
- What kinds of ‘syncretisms’ might Christians need to be alert to in today’s culture?
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.