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You and I can be challenged today just as the Christians in Colossae were challenged in their day. They had people telling them that Jesus wasn't enough. Jesus was just an option...one of many ways. The book of Colossians is situated in the time of Roman occupation and governance. It was a time of polytheism (many gods). Can you imagine being a Christian at a time when many gods were worshipped all around you? There were statues erected in their image? It was expected for one to believe in many. It actually doesn't sound much different from our current situation, does it?
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We face the same sense of plurality that the Colossian Christians faced. There are many gods around us as well, and while there may not be statues of them, we encounter them everyday. Look in the mirror. There's one god that we've created for ourselves. It's us. We worship us. Pull out your wallet and look at a piece of plastic or paper. Money. We worship that as well. Not only money but what money gives us - an ability to quench our desires for more; instant gratification; power to do what we want when we want. Consumption is an unseen god. We inately look for how we can gain more.
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Can you see where we've bought into the same type of thing the Colossians faced? Jesus isn't enough. The ways of Jesus are not enough. There's got to be more. And that more serves us and enslaves others. It doesn't set people free how Jesus sets people free. It leads to us depending on other powers...other mysteries...rather than Christ. We've all bought into it. The question is, will you let Christ set you free from it?
