Holy People In Colossae

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.” Colossians 1:1-2

Colossae, located in the beautiful and fertile Lycus Valley, was once an important city for wools and the textile industry. Both Greek settlers and Jewish immigrants from Babylon and Mesopotamia lived in Colossae. Over time the other cities in this tri-cities region, Hierapolis and Laodicea, surpassed Colossae. Having grown up in Memphis , a once proud cotton town that once battled Dallas and Atlanta for prominence in the South and has always battled tensions brought on by ethnic diversity, I can imagine what must have been the self-image of the Colossians. A city-wide inferiority complex can lead you to grasp at anything to make you feel important.

Memphis’ self-esteem is soaring as they celebrate the arrival of the NBA’s Grizzlies after years of chasing second rate leagues (ABA, WFL, ABL, XFL) and even a disastrous year of renting an NFL team (remember the Oilers in the Liberty Bowl?). Colossae’s self-worth seems to have been tied more to embracing ideas than to luring sports franchises. Everybody was interested in spirituality and felt “cutting edge” because of their religious syncretism and pluralism (the mixing of a lot of different religious ideas, the taking or discarding of elements of various systems of religion). Their knowledge was deeper than those embracing just one religion. Such superior theology made everyone feel good, like they were on a higher plane than others. Must have made the community feel good.

In this city with the theological smorgasbord lived a family of God’s people. This church included members like Archippus and Apphia and often met in Philemon’s house (Colossians 4:17, Philemon 1, 2). The apostle Paul challenged this church to move beyond just embracing feel-good religious ideas to living out their faith as they dealt with incorporating a runaway slave named Onesimus into their fellowship (Philemon). Imagine all that must have gone on to make this happen.

Paul writes this letter to the Colossian Christians who were holy and faithful in the midst of this community where many people really didn’t know what to believe of the garbled mix of ideas circulating. The apostle extends to them grace and peace from God. This letter may have just the message needed for a church seeking to be holy and faithful in a community mixing new age philosophy with old time religion and listening to the gospel according to Miss Cleo.

— Bob Clark

7/4/2001