The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 49

cession for their spiritual r,rogrt•s~. There is considernblc similarity between the intercession he makes for the Ephc-sinns (Eph. iii. 14-21) nud the intercession he here makes for t.he (',0lossians. In both he appeals to the Father that tho most intimo.te and loving relations may be est.ablished between the persons prayed for nud "his dear :-on." He gives, however, in the case bcfoNI us a magnificence to his conception of Christ which is not found in the longer Epistle. Ju this way he could best meot and overcome the Gnostic tendency nt Colossre. Let us consider the trnth embodied in tho intercession in the following order:- I. WE SHALL CONSIDER THE KING HERE REFERRED TO. (Ver. 13.) Paul has already presented Jesus Christ as the Object of the Colossians' faith. But in the present section he presents him as "God's dear Son," or "the Son of his love" (uloii .-;js i&-yd7r71s a~.-ov), in posi;ession of a kingdom. This kingdom is the antithesis of "the power of darkness;" it is, in fact, a kingdom of light. The sphere of the inheritance of the saintly subjects is said to be light (ver. 12). Hence Jesus is brought before us in this prayer much as he is Lrougbt before us in the Apocalypse, as the light-giving Lamb (Rev. :xxi 23). "I am the Light of the world," he said; and as the greater light rules the day, so does Jesus rule in his kingdom (John viii. 12; Gen. i. 16). The sun is now known to be the source of all the light and heat enjoyed on the earth; to his genial beams we owe spring and summer and autumn, and all the precious fruits of the earth; so is it to Jesns Christ we owe all the procession of seasonable blessing which his kingdom affords. He is King, then, over such a realm a.1 Pilate could not appreciate-over a kingdom of truth, whose rigbt.s interfered not with the rights of ClBSar (John xviii. 33- 38; lfatt. x:rii. 21). The light in which our spirit.s are bathed is truth-the truth as it is in Jesus. From his glorions Person there radiates the benign and healing beams 1·.-hicb enable the recipients to grow even as the calves of the stall (Mal iv. 2). ll LET us OOXSIDER TllE SUDJECTS SECURED FOR THIS KING. (Vers. 13, 14.) Now, Paul in this prayer speaks of the Father providing subjects for his dear Son. And, s:r:i.nge to say, he finds them in the kingdom of darkness, and by translation he popu- latc.s the kingdom of his Son. He finds the raw material in sinners who need redemp- tion and pardon, and they become Christ's subjects through receiving at his hands these indispensable blessings. Truly it is a strange arrangement that the King, God's ciear Son, should, before entering upon his reign, first die and provide through the shedding of his blood the redemption and forgiveness the subjects need. Yet so it is. '.!.'he Father sent his Son to be the Sacrifice to take away sin, and from the altar he J.lllSSes to the throne. \Ve here can see how endeared the King must be to his subjects. Having lived and died to redeem us, we feel it to be only just that we should live, and, if need be, die for him. Hence the consecration of the blood of the Son of God is upon all the subjects. It is a kiugdom of redeemed and pardoned and blood-bought souls 01·er whom Jesus reigns. HL CoNSIDED NEXT THE OCCUP.A.TIO!.'B OF THIS KINGDOM. (Vers. 9-11.) We can now see clearly that the duty of the blood-bought subjects of King Jesus is,)n one word, to do his will. But, before we can do his will, we must know it.. H~nc~ Paul 1,rays that 1hese Colossians may be "filled with the knowledge of his '!ill Ill all 11 is<l.om and spiritual understanding." The cry of the blood~bought soul 1s ." Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" We place ourselves at the d1spos~l of our King ~nd ask him to show us his will. AB a rule, we shall not be left long 1n doubt regarding it. In the darkest hour tbe light ariseth for the upright (Ps. cxii. 4). If we straight- forwardly want to know what Christ's will is, we shall soon find it. But this know- ledge of Christ's will is that the Colossians may " walk worthy of the Lord unto nil pleasin" bdnu fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Jesus i~dicate'; his will that his blood-bought people may walk worthily. High moral principle is to characterize them constantly. And every good work will fi'-:d in the1;11 willing hands. '.!.'he servants of Christ Lave been always in the vo.n of ph1lant_hrop10 effort. And this morality and zeal will not be allowed to hinder progress 1n the kuc,wledg,; of God. Education is not withheld from any of Christ's subjects by reason of tLc IDultiplicity of other claims. The real education, which is in the knowledge of God-for the: world 2.nd all that it contains constitute in the last analysis simply a rt:ve\atiou of hi.a power aud Godhead (Rom. i. 20)-goes hand-in-hand with moral earubtne:,s and cff,,rt. Ilut yet again, the subjects of Christ's kingdom find the need Oil, I. 1-20.] 'l'HE EPISTLE 'fO THE COLOSSJANS. 43