Christ Over All

If there is one thing we desperately need today, it is to return to a proper relationship with Jesus Christ. For so many people, Jesus is irrelevant. He just doesn’t matter at all. What he did is lost on them. Who he is doesn’t matter. I’m reading a book about research, and the author refers to the most devastating judgment a researcher can face. It’s not “I disagree,” for someone always disagrees. Disagreement is par for the course. They said the worst thing a reader can say to a writer is “I don’t care.”

That’s the attitude so many take to Jesus: they just don’t care. He doesn’t matter to them at all. But if we have a proper vision of Christ, we don’t see him as irrelevant. Jesus Christ is the most relevant person of all.

That’s what Paul wants the Colossians to get - a pure view of the preeminent Christ. He wants them to gaze upon the majesty and glory of God incarnate. Thus he introduces the main thrust of his entire letter in verse 15:

Colossians 1:15 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Let’s pause on this verse. When we think of an image, we think of a picture - a photograph or a painting. It captures a moment in time. It gives us the likeness of someone, and can even reveal some things that are hidden. Facial expressions show us what might be going on or how that person feels. Actions and body language help us understand the person and their circumstance more clearly. A picture is worth a thousand words, after all.

But that’s not this word image. The word for image here is a different kind of likeness - it’s the essence of the thing.