Colossians, Overview

Godsway 66, Book 51 - Colossians 

Colossians is a letter that offers a compact vision of the true nature of the church.  Jesus Christ is understood as the embodiment of completion for God's creation -- he is not simply a perfect human being, but represents the unity of all creation.

Understanding that the church is a part of the body of Christ (or, if you prefer, part of the being of Christ), then Christians have a role in living out this unity and fullness of God's creation.  To do so, they need to abandon the human ways of this world and adopt the spiritual ways of living embodied by Jesus -- in other words, they need to refrain from committing human sins and instead demonstrate and share spiritual gifts.

If this sounds similar to the message of other New Testament epistles, it is.  In fact, almost all of the verses in the third chapter of Colossians can also be found elsewhere.  This repetition, though, demonstrates how important it was to the church to understand the difference between a Christian way of life and every other way of life.

Bonus Reading, Matthew

Opposition to John the Baptist and Jesus              

Today's reading tells how the Jewish officials responded to John the Baptist and Jesus in similar ways, despite the fact that their approaches and messages were different.  Partially this was due to the fact that John the Baptist and Jesus publicly recognized each other's ministries, with Jesus praising John the Baptist as Elijah reborn.

Despite this, most people refused to hear the basic call to repentance from John the Baptist and Jesus' promise that God's new kingdom was at hand.  In frustration, Jesus even pronounces a curse on the most unbelieving cities, even as he admits in prayer that God's true intentions have been hidden from the wise and powerful.

Read Matthew 11:1-30  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

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Bonus Reading, Matthew

The Challenges and Rewards of Discipleship              

Today's reading tells how Jesus began to entrust his ministry with his disciples.  Knowing that he could not be everywhere at once, he commissioned his twelve disciples to teach and heal in his name.  However, Jesus warned the disciples that they would sometimes face significant opposition, including some from people powerful enough to threaten their freedom and their lives.  Tellingly, Jesus says that his followers are no better than him -- meaning that if he will suffer and die, certainly some of his followers will suffer as well.

Still, Jesus' message is not all gloom and doom, despite the warning of serious obstacles ahead.  For those disciples who pick up the charge to serve in Jesus' name, God will see that those who cause them trouble will be punished.  Even more, those who welcome and respect Jesus' disciples will receive God's favor in this world and the next.

Read Matthew 9:35-10:42  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

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Bonus Reading, Matthew

Creating Problems with Jewish Officials             

Today's reading describes some more of Jesus' miracles and ministry.  However, these incidents suggest the foundation of the opposition to Jesus that arose among Jewish leaders.  He heals a paralyzed man by saying that his sins are forgiven -- though no human has authority to forgive sins.  He converts and dines with tax collectors and other sinners, he teaches his followers not to fast, he heals women and girls -- all of these are problematic actions for a man according to Jewish law.

So when he heals two blind men and a man possessed by a demon that rendered him mute, the Pharisees began to whisper among themselves that these were not the actions of a faithful man of God, but of an unfaithful heretic.

Read Matthew 9:1-34  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

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Bonus Reading, Matthew

The Many Miracles of Jesus            

Today's reading describes several instances of Jesus' miracles.  He heals a number of people, including a leper.  He calms a storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee.  And he exorcises a host of demons from two possessed individuals.  As in the Gospel of Mark, one question that these stories are meant to inspire is: "Who is this Jesus?"

Read Matthew 8:1-34  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

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Bonus Reading, Matthew

Jesus' Temptation & Early Ministry            

Today's reading describes the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in the Gospel of Matthew.  After his baptism, Jesus withdrew to the wilderness, where his motives were tempted by Satan.  However, Jesus resists the desires for wealth or power, which means that his teaching is meant only to help people develop an open relationship with God.  This motivation is clear from his earliest interactions with other people, where Jesus teaches all who will listen and heals anyone who asks for healing.

Read Matthew 4:1-25  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

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Rest Stop

Godsway 66 is on a one-week break.  The overview for the next book, Colossians, will be posted next Sunday, February 14.

This week, there are some extra readings from the Gospel of Matthew.  They describe the beginning of Jesus' ministry, his relationship to John the Baptist, the opposition to his ministry from Jewish leadership, and the threats to disciples who preached and healed in his name.