And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:18-20, NIV).
As Paul continues his soaring description of the supremacy of Jesus, I’m taken by the contrast he describes. On the one hand, Paul describes him as the head and chief of the church. He is the firstfruits of the future resurrection. In everything (both spiritual and physical) he is supreme. The full divinity of God is in him.
On the other hand he dies – he sheds his blood as a sacrifice for us.
When Paul tells us in Philippians 2:7 that Jesus emptied himself…we now see of what: the fullness of God. He temporarily set aside some of his divine attributes. He took the form of a servant. He took the form of a fetus. He took the form of a baby. He was born in a manger.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14, NIV).
Head, firstborn, supreme, fully God…with us. Immanuel.
