Day 17 - Shadow vs. Substance (Col 2:16-19)

¹⁶ Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. Colossians 2:16-19

Let no one pass judgement on you. Let no one disqualify you.

The passage starts with a “therefore,” looking back on the previous statement, which was the victory in Christ for what He did on the cross. In this is all we need. Christ as the head of all things.

The Colossian church was bombarded with false teachers, new philosophies, and misleading ideas. Christ followers were judged and deemed disqualified for not following along.

Do you ever feel judged or disqualified? Often it is something we impose upon ourselves. We aren’t good enough. We don’t have what (fill in the blank) has. We can’t do what (fill in the blank) can do. We don’t worship like them or have faith like them or have an impact like they do. We are too messed up. Not smart enough. Don’t know the Bible well enough. Don’t have a platform.

Paul would say to all of that ... Let no one pass judgement on you. Let no one disqualify you. If Christ is our head, we are judged as righteous and we ARE qualified.

In verse 14, Paul isn’t dismissing the value of the Old Testament festivals and Sabbath observance. He is pointing out that they are a mere shadow of the actual substance, which is Christ. Once reality is realized, the shadow is no longer the thing. The shadow points to the thing that is to come, but it isn’t the thing. Jesus is the thing, and He has come.

My son just gave our dog a fake, dog version of a pepperoni. My dog happily took it to his hiding place to eat it. A few minutes later, my son came out with a handful of real pepperonis. Chester went nuts…the real, good stuff.  Tail wag, leap for joy, “I’ll sit, lay, roll over…whatever!” plea on his furry little face. Why accept the shadow when you have the real thing?

That is a silly example, but the shadow is good when it is all we have, but once we have the real thing, the shadow loses its value.

²⁸ For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. Hebrews 9:26

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ² a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. ⁴ Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. ⁵ They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” ⁶ But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. ⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. Hebrews 8:1-5

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Hebrews 10:1

If all you ever saw from humanity was a shadow, you would have some sense for what a person was like. The shape of their body, how they move, things they do. But it wouldn’t at all give you a true picture of the fullness of a person. Once you saw a real person, the shadow wouldn’t be of value to you in your understanding of a person. You would want to engage with the real person to learn more about people.

In addition to being a shadow of the true substance of Jesus, the rituals are also in place for worship and remembrance. The rituals and worship and Sabbath are a good thing, when they are in their proper perspective and done from a posture of worshiping the real thing. However, rituals often continue as a check list and the heart of worship is lost. God warns about this often in the Bible.

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. ¹⁴ Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Isaiah 1:13-15

Empty rituals and legalistic rules are of no use to God. He sees what is in the heart, and an undivided heart seeking Him is what He desires. If Christ is not at the head, it is an empty gesture.

The other items condemned by Paul (verse 18) were the add on spiritual ideas of the false teachers of the day. They would go on in detail, puffed up with themselves, full of vanity and self-righteousness. When anything is added to the sufficiency of Jesus it is heresy. Just as a body can’t grow or survive without the head, neither can we grow and survive in Christ without Him at the head.

If you are putting God first, stepping into who Jesus is and what Jesus did for you, that is all you need. Let no one pass judgement on you or disqualify you. Jesus is enough. You are enough. You are qualified to all that God has called you to.