Don’t Worship Any Images, Except for This One
[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:15–20 ESV
While the Ten Commandments were being carved in stone, the Hebrews put together their gold earrings and bracelets and Aaron made it all into a golden calf. Among other things, that broke commandment number 2: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”
Different religions and different denominations and sects within Christianity take this in different ways. Muslim art is full of calligraphy and intricate patterns because they don’t draw people, animals, or plants. Some people are offended at statues of Jesus for the same reasons. Opinions and passions run the whole range.
If you ever go on a mission trip to Myanmar, you can drive down the street and idolatry is rampant. We prayed for men bowing down on the side of the road to little wooden shapes in little wooden boxes. We sat outside of the largest Buddhist temple in the world, covered in golden statues while neighbors 100 feet away died of starvation. It doesn’t take much to see the harm in trading “the truth about God for a lie, and [worshipping] and [serving] created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. (Ro. 1:25)
But when the set time had fully come, God did something amazing. God knows that we learn so much from our senses. That’s part of all of the tabernacle and temple with all of its symbolism, incense, sacrifices, gold, etc. But there would be only one way to fully engage us and show is in every way the full image of God. None of those things were to be worshipped, but they were shadows pointing to things about God.
But when Jesus came and lived, He was as different from any golden idol as a light is different from a shadow. The fullness of God was in Christ and those that looked at Jesus and saw Him had seen the Father. They were not being swept away by a false representation of God. They were not bowing down to a lifeless idol. It brought God the Father joy to live fully in Jesus, and Jesus was pleased to show off the life of the Father.
Have you ever realized that many of our questions about God can be answered by looking at the life of Jesus? Have you read the Gospels from the perspective of “This is what God is like?” Do your thoughts about God change any knowing that Jesus is the “exact imprint of His being?”