Colossians 2:16-19
Text Introduction: I suspect Paul didn’t give much detail about the heresy at Colossae because he knew the Colossians knew what was being taught and he may have never suspected anyone would be reading his letter almost two-thousand years later. Still, from what we do know of their errors, it’s clear these teachers were no real friends of the Colossian Christians, in fact, as the saying goes; with friends like these you just don’t need enemies.
And, if Paul somehow did know we would be reading his letters, rather than leave us the details of a heresy which would one day disappear, he preferred to give us an unchanging standard by which we can evaluate every new notion, every new teaching we encounter.
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Some day there will be a knock at your door or someone will ring the bell. A glance out the window tells you the two people standing there haven’t come to borrow a cup of Splenda. They’re holding Bibles and some literature. They’re at your door on a mission.
Alexander and Claudia who live in a small home on the outskirts of Colossae are entertaining such a mission-minded guest: Jacob, a neighbor who claims to be a ‘spiritual’ person even though he doesn’t attend the meetings of the believers. The couple suspects his view of Jesus Christ is somewhat different than theirs.
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The host and hostess, mindful of the obligations of hospitality, try to make Jacob feel welcome. Claudia offers him some warm bread and a small glass of wine.
At this, Jacob raises his hands in protest and says, “I don’t drink wine.”
Claudia blushes and hurries from the room. She had momentarily forgotten that this man and others like him had strict rules about what they could eat and drink.
While Claudia is out of the room, Jacob seizes the opportunity to speak to Alexander.
“Alexander,” Jacob says as he crosses his arms over his chest, “I know you believe you are a spiritual person, but I have made some discoveries about how we must live, discoveries you will never make in that church of yours.”
At this point Claudia returns with a glass of water for Jacob. He takes it without a word of thanks or a glance her at her. With great effort, she sits down next to her husband.
Alexander smiles at her and says, “Jacob was just about to tell us some things he has learned that we haven’t learned from Epaphras or any of the other believers. Go ahead, Jacob.”
“Well,” Jacob began, “perhaps the simplest way is to just compare how we live. To begin with, you’re not as disciplined as I am.”
“How is that,” Alexander asked.
“Well, look at your diet….”
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We don’t know all that Jacob might have said about diet but what Paul says about the beliefs of the false teachers on this matter is interesting.
This diet has nothing to do with losing weight or being healthier. Those “diet fanatics” in Colossae seem to have believed that what they ate, or, more likely, what they didn’t eat, made them more holy. A kosher diet was important to the Jews, so this might suggest that these teachers had links to Judaism. But notice that Paul says, “Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink…” Jewish dietary laws did not deal with drink.
This suggests they were trying to do more than the law required, to be more disciplined than even God asked them to be.
No doubt, the same principle would have been applied to the holy days and festivals they observed. In his conversation with Alexander and Claudia, Jacob would have probably added, “You don’t observe the holy days I do.”
Years ago, I read a slender book by Frances Ridley Havergal called Kept for the Master’s Use. Havergal wrote the hymn, “Take My Life and Let it Be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee” and this book was a kind of commentary on the hymn. Havergal was a Victorian Evangelical whose love for Christ was clear but I remember being a little uneasy reading her book. She tended to place restraints on Christians that seemed to have little support in the Scripture. For example, she argued that Christians should never use their voices to sing any non-Christian song. There can be no Christian opera singers and those country-western singers who claim to be believers are just posers.
Havergal meant well in her little book but she opened the door to allow those who believed like her to pass judgment on anyone who differed. Maybe you’ve seen that raised eyebrow when you’ve told a fellow Christian where you had your anniversary dinner. Or, worse, have you ever raised an eyebrow when Christian friends told you what movie they attended over the weekend?
In his other writings Paul leaves it up to the individual Christian to decide about observing holy days. Paul held his opinion because he believed all the ritual law had been fulfilled with the coming of Christ. This group in Colossae seemed to believe that they had an obligation to impose their calendar on others. You’ve met such people. Just be sure you don’t become one.
Let’s get back to the first century.
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After listening to what Jacob had to say about diet and holy days, Alexander asked, “Is that all?”
Jacob responds, “Well, no. I’ve also noticed that you haven’t made the sacrifices I have.”
While Jacob began to enumerate his “sacrifices” Claudia looked around at their simple home and began to wonder what kinds of sacrifices Jacob would have them make. She wondered if he would have her throw out the little crib which Alexander had made, the crib which would hold their first child who would be born in just three months.
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As it happens, Claudia may have been close to the truth. The Amplified New Testament renders the phrase “delights in false humility” as “insisting on self-abasement.” There are some hints which suggest at least some of the cultists at Colossae promoted universal celibacy among their followers. They would be sending out no birth announcements.
Whatever may have been given up by these individuals, their motive was to demonstrate their piety—to everyone possible. To put it another way, they were never happier than when they were miserable. Happy, because others got to see just how spiritual they were.
While asceticism and self-sacrifice may have a place in the Christian lifestyle it is not to be an end in itself. It is certainly not to be worn as a badge of spirituality.
I had an aunt who refused to have a Monopoly game in her house. She loudly let it be known she wouldn’t have a Monopoly game in her house. Her reason was that the game contains a pair of dice. I can only assume she feared that, if she allowed a Monopoly game in the house, one evening my cousins would be seized by an overwhelming urge to fall down on all fours and start a game of craps.
I’m not sure how effective my aunt’s efforts were in raising pious children. My adult cousin once beat up a preacher for saying something my cousin didn’t like. Years later, my cousin remained unrepentant, even proud of that act of violence. My cousin was one tough woman.
No Bible verse asked my aunt to give up playing any game—no matter how boring it might be or exhausting. A few decades into the second century some Christians began insisting that new believers must be baptized in cold water. Baptisms on a sunny Mediterranean beach could never be really spiritual. Had he known, Paul would have just shaken his head…and maybe reached for his pen.
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When Jacob paused to catch his breath, Alexander asked, “Doesn’t our Lord teach us that some of these things you’re saying we must give up are harmless? I’ve even heard that Peter sometimes enjoys meals with Gentiles.”
Jacob smiled condescendingly and responded, “Jesus—whom you regard so highly—was only accommodating himself to the limitations of his audience. More is expected of those with higher potential.”
“You mean,” Alexander asked, “people like yourself?”
“Well, I don’t mean to boast,” Jacob answered, “and I can understand how all this might be confusing. After all, you haven’t had the experiences I’ve had.”
“What experiences?,” Claudia asked, although as a woman, in some quarters she would have been expected to remain quiet.
“Well,” Jacob said, “visions for one thing.”
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If you’ll allow me to interrupt again, I want to tell you about one of my experiences. You see, I once knew a man who claimed to have seen Jesus twice, maybe three times. I actually forget. These ‘visions’ took place during medical crises in which the man claims to have died and gone to heaven. Anyway, the details are unimportant but the experience left him arrogant and judgmental. He never attended Sunday school, for example, because, after all, how could a mere Sunday school teacher enlighten him. Jacob reminds me of him.
“Visions,” as Paul uses the term, seem to suggest an opportunity to see what others don’t get to see. The clear implication: If you’ve not had such an experience, you can’t be as spiritual as I. Despite going into great detail about their mystical experiences their claims don’t ring true. Rather than inspiring genuine humility and spirituality, these experiences made them proud. For Paul, that was a clue to the true worth of such experiences.
I’m never surprised when people who claim to hear God’s voice leading them to do something end up going against the advice of friends or even pastoral counsel. Usually, God “tells” them to do what they wanted to do in the first place. I’m not saying God doesn’t speak to individuals today. I just think the people he speaks to are as surprised as anyone to hear his voice.
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When Jacob had finished talking about his ‘visions,’ Alexander said, “Jacob, I won’t try to explain your experiences, but I do know our Lord once said, ‘no man comes to the Father except through me.’ And, Jacob, I believe Jesus Christ opens the way for me to enjoy God’s presence because he has forgiven us all our sins.”
“Dear, dear, Alexander,” Jacob said solemnly, “what you’ve just said unsettles me. But, you probably can’t understand my concern because, the truth is, I am more humble than you.”
With great difficulty, both Alexander and Claudia stifled laughter until Alexander was able to ask, “Just how are you more humble than we are?”
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The most difficult to understand phrase in this passage is the one which speaks of “the worship of angels.” There are several different interpretations but one seems to make the most sense, given the context. According to this interpretation, the false teachers were claiming to be too humble to try to approach God; instead, they would be content to approach the angels. Henry writes, “It was a fantastic self-abasement which would not take God at his word or draw near to him in his Son.”
It was a notion which struck at the heart of the idea of reconciliation Paul wrote about. It says, in essence, you’re wrong to take advantage of what Christ died to give you.
A note not presented in the sermon: What we’ve seen Jacob do is what every cultist tries to do. It is a method passed on through the centuries. R. E. O. White comments on this passage: “The usual method of propagandists of some ‘advanced, spiritual’ theosophy [or philosophy claiming special insights not available to everyone] is to unsettle the conscience, creating discontent and guilt, then to play upon this dissatisfaction with specious promises of great blessing to be obtained through some new deviation [from the gospel].”
Fortunately, unknown to Jacob, when the believers met on the Lord’s Day just past (that’s last Sunday to you and me) a letter from the famed missionary Paul was read to the congregation. In it he spoke of the notions of the false teachers who had created a crisis of confidence in the Colossian church and he offered a standard by which their teachings could be judged.
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When Jacob had finally finished describing his humility, Alexander said, “Jacob, I have listened to what you have said and it is clear you believe you have reached a spiritual level beyond the rest of us.”
Jacob nodded and Alexander continued, “Yet, Claudia and I will not allow you to judge us or to declare us disqualified for the salvation God offers. There is one who qualifies us and that is Jesus Christ.”
Jacob sniffed, “Jesus Christ.”
“Yes,” Alexander continued, “Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, God has qualified us ‘to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.’
“You say we are not qualified because we don’t have the insights you have. We say you are cut off from the very source of the life God gives, you are like a body without its head.”
“So,” Jacob asked, “you refuse to listen to the wisdom I offer.”
“Jacob,” Alexander said, “we have listened and you’ve said nothing we wish to believe. Jesus revealed God to us. Jesus invites us to enjoy God’s pleasure and presence. Jesus broke down the walls to allow Jews and Gentiles to worship him together—the walls you would rebuild. God gave his approval to all Jesus Christ said and did by raising him from the dead.”
As Alexander paused to catch his breath Claudia reached for her husband’s hand and said, “So, Jacob, we have one question for you: Will these special teachings of yours help or harm our relationship with Jesus Christ?”
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Paul didn’t give us all the details he might have about what the false teachers at Colossae believed but he did offer a standard by which we can assess any new teaching which comes our way. We may judge it by its impact on our relationship to Jesus Christ.
And out of questions like the one Claudia asked grow others. Ask them to those who would offer what they claim to be a new and improved gospel. Look whatever “Jacob” comes to you squarely in the eyes and ask,
* Will this new mode of thinking or behavior bring glory to God or to me?
* Will plunging into the new lifestyle you promote give me a greater appreciation of God’s grace or will it tempt me to see my actions as particularly praiseworthy, tempt me to see myself as a cut above the “average” Christian?
* Will the effect of your new way of worship cause me to shift my focus from Christ who alone is worthy of praise?
* Will the virtues of your new gospel cause me to become more Christlike or cause me to prize the observance of petty taboos while ignoring the higher ideals of love, compassion, and integrity?
* Will the freedom Christ died to give me be jeopardized or preserved by my commitment to your new ‘gospel?’
* Will the preaching of this new gospel unify or divide the community of believers for whom Christ died?
* Will my support of this new gospel call into question the all-sufficiency of Christ?
Paul answered teachers at Colossae by pointing to the all-sufficiency of Christ and he led the church in giving thanks for all God in Christ had done for them.
