Thoughts for the Day

The supremacy of Christ

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for 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. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and 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.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

You will remember the Gnostics if you have been reading these Thoughts for some time - those who thought matter was evil and spirit was good, and who believed the world had been created by some lesser being? This heresy was to plague the Church for centuries and it still exists in some form or other today. Paul wants to deal with such ideas and declares that Jesus is not some lesser being than God. He is the image of God. He uses the Greek word eikon here which would have spoken loudly to the Colossians. Jesus was not just like God, he was a manifestation of God. He is saying, if you want to see what the invisible God is like then look at Jesus, for He is God in human form. Hebrews 1.3 says Jesus has the 'exact nature of His Father' and John's Gospel says 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' (1.1), finally concluding 'the Word became flesh and lived among us' (1.14).

The phrase 'the firstborn of creation' is not a sign that Jesus was the first created being, rather it is a title of honour. The 'firstborn' at the time was not always the eldest child in a family for instance. Jesus created the world; saved the world; and rules the world. If the subject of Gnosticism leaves you cold then think of this.

• Through Jesus we see love in action - he gave up his life to reunite us with God (John 10.11)
• Through Jesus we see truth spoken - he challenged religious leaders over their hypocrisy (Luke 11.43)
• Through Jesus we see concern for the weak - in parables like the lost sheep (Luke 15.3-7) and in healing the sick (Matthew 14.14).

This is our inheritance! We are to love as Jesus loved us; we are to speak truth to others; and we are always to have concern for the weak and needy.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Father,
Creator of all things,
may we draw closer to You
loving others as You love us;
discerning truth and hypocrisy -
in ourselves and others;
and always caring for those
who need our support.
Amen.