Well, I’ll be honest. I didn’t get a whole lot out of Colossians. Perhaps it’s because it echoes a lot of the stuff I ran into in Ephesians and Philippians. Perhaps my brain is still resisting the act of thinking after its recent injury.
One thing I like is the focus on how we’re supposed to live now. The introduction to Colossians pointed this out — that this book focuses more on finding renewed life in Christ here on earth than it does on believing in Christ now for the hope of life eternal.
Paul tells the Colossians that they’re supposed to be living by Christ. It’s time to let go/resist the old rules & regulations, which sound a whole lot like he’s talking about Jewish law. The Law has been replaced with a new approach to life. This new life is a life that focuses on the good things that matter: kindness, humility, compassion, meekness, patience. It also seems to focus on relationships. This is where Paul says:
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives adn never treat them harshly.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. …
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
[3:18-22, 4:1]
Obviously, this is a passage that causes controversy in modern times. We American women do not strive to be subject to their husbands, thank you very much, and our culture rejects slavery in any form that I can think of.
But what strikes me about this passage now is how it focuses on relationships. God intends for us not just to be good people (rejecting such things as “fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed” [3:5]), but to be good people in community — respecting those close to us and always treating them well.
I wonder if modern readings are too quick to reject this passage as a relic of a different culture, and perhaps we miss the idea that we are being called to be good to those we love.
