If you remember from the first blog post on Colossians, Paul was writing to people that were mixing different parts of their culture with their understanding of Jesus. Some were Jews and they were still living under the Old Testament Law. Some were Greeks and were influenced by the humanism of the day- meaning that they placed higher importance on human understanding than God. Some were worshiping angels and others were living strict lives to show a false humility to those around them.

This seems like a mix and match smoothie in a blender fixed for disaster, doesn’t it? This is why Paul wrote his letter- he wanted to remind the church that Christ is supreme. And this message is still vital for us today.

When talking to those who were Jews but recognized Jesus as the Messiah, Paul wrote about their festivals. The Jewish people put a large emphasis on the festivals and sabbaths. The sabbath is celebrated every week as a day of rest for the Jewish people, reminding them that God also rested after creating the world. Some festivals commemorated times when God did mighty miracles for the Israelites, others were for sacrifices. All of these are commanded to be observed in Leviticus 23.

So what gives? If they’re commanded, why does Paul say not to judge people who don’t follow them? Here, Paul is reminding the people that the law, the festivals, and sabbath all point to Jesus. Jesus is the one who fulfills the promises we find in the festivals; he fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament and the requirements of the law. Jesus is our eternal sabbath rest. Don’t get me wrong, we can still rest on the sabbath. We should still follow the ten commandments. We can still celebrate the festivals in the Bible. But Paul wants us to remember that these are just a shadow. Their reality is found in Jesus.¹

Once the people of God were under the law with food and drink regulations. But Jesus proclaimed that it isn’t what enters a person’s mouth that makes them unclean, but what comes out of it.

As for festivals, the blood of the Passover lamb spared the lives of the firstborn of the Israelites, eventually leading them from slavery and into freedom. Jesus, however, leads us out of the slavery of sin and death and into freedom and grace from his blood on the cross. Jesus is the bread without yeast, the one without sin. He is the first fruit, the firstborn from the dead. He rose from the grave and one day all who believe in him will rise also. The law was given on the day of the Festival of Weeks, but after his death, Jesus poured out his Spirit on that day, showing we are not under the law, but the Spirit. There are festivals that point to a calling in of the harvesters with trumpets, to judgment, and to God dwelling with his people.

Do you see? The law and these festivals, the sabbath and the prophecies of the OT are a shadow. They point to Jesus. Their reality is found in him and him alone. And that, dear friends, is incredible. Now, we can look at those shadows and remember the mighty things God has done and the promises yet to be fulfilled. Now, we see in part. But one day, we will see Jesus face to face and all the shadows of this life and world will fade in his magnificent light.

Activity

If you want to teach this to your kids, first show them a tracing of the shadows of objects. See if they can guess what object made the shadow. Next, give them the objects and ask them to line up the object’s shadow and it’s tracing.

How does it apply to me?

Notice how little detail a shadow has; it’s hard to figure out and you might not know what it is or means. Also notice how much greater the real object is. Once you see the real object, it’s easy to see how the shadow lines up. The same is true with Jesus. The Old Testament is so beautiful, but it points to something- to Someone- even more glorious. The OT, along with the laws, sabbaths, prophecies, and festivals, points to Jesus, and reality is found in him.

If you’d like to take a deeper look at the book of Colossians, check out this free beginner commentary for kids. Going chapter by chapter and section by section, you can read Colossians aloud to your kids, then answer some of their questions with this resource. Find Rooted and Built Up: A Kid’s Companion to Colossians here.

Find free Sunday School Lessons here.

Find other Kid’s Companion commentaries on the books of Mark, Philippians, and 1 Peter here.