Have you ever been a refugee? The Christian church started as a large group of Jews in Jerusalem. Life in the ancient world was tough: early on, opponents of Christianity chased almost the entire church from the city, slaughtering many who didn’t escape or leave.
The first-century Middle East was a grueling place to be poor. Writes Douglas Moo, “Wealthy landholders were constantly increasing their land holdings at the expense of the poor...
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat
its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21 It is here, in chapter 3, that James takes up a primary topic of Jewish Wisdom Literature: speech.
While chapter 3 of the book of James ended with peacekeepers making peace, chapter 4 of James begins with violence.
This chapter contains the heart of James, a call to whole-hearted commitment to God above every other thing in our lives.
James concludes his letter by wrapping it in Jewish thought. Without any literary context, chapter 5 includes useful advice to Christian believers and compelling persuasion to look ahead to the return of Christ. With literary context from the Old Testament, the text comes alive.
Ancient religions were scary. In Colossae, people worshiped over a dozen different gods, and when Christianity arrived in the first century, religious fanaticism had already made the small ancient city a hotbed of spiritual practice. Types of pagan worship in the small Roman city ranged from prayer and fasting to bloody, violent public festivals of whipping and self-mutilation. Many individuals also practiced Judaism.
Pseudo-mysticism surrounded the Colossian church. Today, if you mention to your friend that you have a headache, they may say, “Have you taken an aspirin?” or, “Have you considered going to a doctor?” In ancient Colossae, your friend may say, “Did someone put a hex on you?”, “Do you think you’ve irritated one of the gods?” or, “Have you considered calling on the angel Raphael with a spell?”
If Jesus is the highest authority, if he defeated all the spiritual forces the Colossians feared, how should they live? In Colossians 3, Paul drives his point home: he challenges the Colossians to live their lives in light of the future that is coming in Christ. The first phrase in this chapter is, “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ.” To Paul, dying and being raised from the dead with Christ are things that have already happened.
What can we learn about the early church from a goodbye?
At the end of his letter to the Colossians, Paul offers some parting advice, reminds the church receiving his letter of his situation in prison, and sends greetings from and to his friends in the area.
Time Periods in the Bible: Why We Need the OT for the Epistles
Editor’s Note: For more information on this important topic, please see Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul by Richard Hays and Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament by Beale and Carson.
In the previous article, we saw that the Gospels are ...
