It is worth reflecting on the contrast between our two New Testament readings today. The passage from St. Lukes Gospel (Lk 23:35-43) describes a moment in the passion of Christbut let us remember that "passion" means "suffering," real, horrible suffering. Jesus was one of three men condemned to the worst form of torturing execution then known, one reserved for the worst of criminals or for people who represented a social or political threat. The focus of our story, of course, is on Jesus, the object of the mockery of the leaders of the people and of the soldiers, whose particular form of contempt was the sarcastic title they attached over his head: "This is the King of the Jews." Perhaps our familiarity with the scene and the moment hides its horrific character from us.But then, in our second reading (Col 1:12-20), we heard said of this same Jesus the extraordinary claims that he was an agent of creation, the one in whom, by whom, for whom all things were made; the one in whom all things hold together, and then that he not only is the first-born of all creation, but also the first-born from among the dead, in whom Gods fullness dwells, the agent of universal reconciliation, achieving peace through the blood of his cross.Fifty years ago, C.F.D. Moule already expressed the wonder we ought to feel in moving from one text to the other.

It is worth the effort to recall that these stupendous words apply (if they are indeed St. Pauls own) to one who, only some thirty years before (and possibly less), had been crucified. The identification of that historical personthe Nazarene who had been ignominiously executedwith the subject of this description is staggering, and fairly cries out for some explanation (C.F.D. Moule, Colossians and Philemon, 58-59).

The brief Epistle to the Colossians deserves to be read at a single sittingit wont take more than ten minutes to go through it. This is an exercise I used to recommend to my students whom I urged to read an epistle as if they had never read it before and knew nothing about Jesus or Paul or about Christianity, in other words, to let it strike them freshly.