Colossians 2:14-18

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint Lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

12 April 2011

Too easily and too readily, people want to nail the Sabbath to the cross and even Leviticus 11 with the clean and unclean foods rules of God. The cross changed people's spiritual status but did not change the uncleanliness and unhealthiness of the pigs. The Ten Commandments were written on Tables of Stone and was not nailed to the cross. Neither was the ceremonial laws nailed to the cross. The decree that the sinner should die, that note was nailed to the cross.

εξαλειψας το καθ ημων χειρογραφον τοις δογμασιν ο ην

having wiped out the note of hand against us, with the decrees, which was

υπεναντιον ημιν και αυτο ηρκεν εκ του μεσου

contrary to us and has taken it out of the middle

προσηλωσας αυτο τω σταυρω

nailed it to the cross

[what note and what decree? "If you sin you shall surely die eternal death." See Genesis 3:2-3]

What middle? From the midst of the Sanctuary. The decree came from Heaven so it may be the center of the Heavenly Sanctuary and that is where Christ's priestly ministry is on our behalf.

απεκδυσαμενος τας αρχας και τας εξουσιας εδειγματισεν

when He disarmed the rulers and the authorities He made a display

εν παρρησια θριαμβευσας αυτους εν αυτω

in public having beaten them in Himself

Christ disarmed the criticism of Satan and his instruments against the people of God that they should die and not live because of their sins. But by dying Himself in their place, He made a public diplay that disarmed Satan and his angels accusation against the faithful. Christ's Righteousness achieved it all.

μη ουν τις υμας κρινετω εν βρωσει και εν ποσει η εν

Then let no-one criticize you (plural) in food and in drink or in

μερει εορτης η νεομνηνιας η σαββατων

part of festival, or new moons or sabbaths

α εστιν σκια των μελλοντων το δε σωμα του χριστου

which is a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ

Since the Sabbaths is a shadow of things to come and only a shadow until Christ comes or later fulfills that function, since it becomes obsolete, it is not the moral Sabbath but the ceremonial Sabbaths. Festivals, New Moons and Ceremonial Sabbaths came to an end at the Cross and in the life of Christ since He is taking over the Sanctuary Service and its functions and continue some of them in Heaven like His priestly and High Priestly functions. In Hebrews 10:1 we have the classical same phrase by Paul to express the ceremonial law with its offerings to have come to an end in Christ. Again we must not misunderstood Paul since it did not terminate at 31 CE, there are aspects that Christ is still fulfilling that can be seen in the functions of the Sanctuary in Moses days.

That we are dealing with sometimes added self-designed ceremonial rules, we can see in Paul's criticism in Colossians 2:20, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch". That God gave laws similar to these is clear and Paul would not criticize the laws God gave, but the ones Judaism has invented themselves will be under criticism.