Tawa Baptist

Head

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-18

Video Link: https://youtu.be/6e9Kgq6-P0g

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 16 Aug 2026 – Head by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus is the source of life
  • Jesus is the one in charge
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

The angle at which you look at something is quite important. It can change your perception dramatically, give you new insight. Lying on your back and looking up at the world gives you a completely different perspective than standing on your feet and looking down.  

Getting out of your car and walking the streets of Tawa provides another outlook on the community. A decent night’s sleep or a restful break away gives you a fresh pair of eyes on things.

Overseas travel or having children also helps you to see God and the world in a whole new light. A person living on a benefit has a very different angle on a $20 note than someone earning $100k a year.  

Today we continue our sermon series on body parts. You may wonder, ‘why body parts?’ Well, the whole point of the Bible is to point us to Jesus. And a series like ‘body parts in the Bible’ helps us to see Jesus from another angle.

This week’s body part is the head. The head is mentioned over 400 times in the Scriptures. Sometimes in a literal sense and other times in a figurative sense.

People in the ancient world thought about the head quite differently from us. Understanding their angle offers fresh insight.

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul writes about Jesus as the head. From Colossians 1, verses 15-18 we read…   

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 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 and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses from Colossians, Paul gives us two different (but related) angles on Jesus as the head. To say that Jesus is the head means that Jesus is the source of life, and Jesus is the one in charge. Let us continue then with Jesus as the source of life.

Jesus is the source of life:

This idea of the head being the source or origin of something goes back thousands of years. People in the ancient world believed the head was like a spring from which power flowed to the rest of the body. For them the head was the seat of the soul. In other words, a person’s life force, the energy which animates the body, flows from the head.

It is easy to see why the ancients thought this way. If you lose a finger or an arm or even one of your kidneys, the rest of your body can still function. But if you lose your head, that’s it. No more life. A body without a head is dead.

This idea of the head being the source is still around today. For example, when we talk about the head of a river, we mean the source of that river. The place the water originates from.

The head (or source) of New Zealand’s longest river, the Waikato, is the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu. Water runoff from Ruapehu joins the Tongariro River which flows into Lake Taupo, which in turn drains to the north toward Hamilton, eventually emptying into the Tasman Sea just south of Auckland.

The Waikato River is itself a source of life. It nourishes the land, supports wildlife, and generates hydro-electricity at various points too. If the Waikato River is the body, then Ruapehu is the head and Tongariro is the neck. If you were to remove Ruapehu, then I’m not sure there would be a Waikato River flowing through Hamilton.  

In verse 16 of Colossians 1, Paul writes of Jesus: For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things have been created through him… 17 He is before all things…

The apostle John had the same idea in mind when he said of Jesus…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all humankind. 

Both John and Paul are saying here that Jesus is the head of creation, in the sense that he is the source of creation, the one through whom the physical universe and the spiritual realm came into being.

As well as being the source of creation, Jesus is also the source of the church. As we read in verse 18 of Colossians 1: He is the head of the body, the church; 

The church universal, Christians everywhere throughout history, is the body of Christ on earth. When Paul says, Jesus is the head of the church, he means Jesus is the source of the church’s life. For the church to function it must remain connected to Jesus the head. If the church ever loses its connection with Jesus, it dies.

Jesus himself made this point in John 15 when he said: 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;

In the same way the vine is the source of the branch’s life, so too Jesus is the source of our life; he is our head.

Returning to Colossians 1. Verse 18 goes on to say that Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead…

The word, beginning, translates from the Greek word ‘arche’, from which we get words like archaeology and archetype. Arche is freighted with two meanings. It can mean the first in a sequence, like A is the beginning of the alphabet. But it can also mean, the source from which something came; the moving power which set something in operation. [1]

For example, if we think of electricity as a body, then the head or the source (the beginning) of that electricity might be water or sunlight or coal, depending on how the electricity is generated.

So, when Paul says that Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, he means that Jesus is the source of God’s new creation; that is, a world set free from sin and death. Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead marks the beginning of God’s new creation.

What does this mean for us? Well, given that Jesus is the source of life for all creation and especially for the church, it logically follows that we rely on Jesus for our life. Jesus is as important to our survival as oxygen or water or sunlight or food.

To become separated from Jesus is to die spiritually and eventually physically as well. Therefore, the first and most important thing we need to do is stay connected to Jesus. We do that through prayer, through regular fellowship with other believers and by obeying God’s word.  

Jesus is the one in charge:

While we can understand how the word head can be used in the sense of the source of something, this is not usually our first thought. For most 21st century westerners the ‘head’ is the person in charge. The man or woman at the top. The boss, the CEO, the prime minister, the president, the principal. The one calling the shots. The person with the most authority.     

Not only is Jesus the source of life; he is also ‘head’ in the sense of being the one in charge.

In Colossians 1, Paul refers to Jesus (in verse 15) as the firstborn over all creation and then again (in verse 18) as the firstborn from among the dead.

Calling Jesus, the firstborn over all creation, does not imply that Jesus was the first thing God made. No. Jesus was not made by God. Jesus is co-eternal with God. Indeed, Jesus is the very image of God.

The firstborn in antiquity was the head in the sense of being given the first place or top billing, the greatest honour. So, in calling Jesus, the firstborn, Paul means the highest honour belongs to Jesus. Jesus is supreme over all things.

Paul is at pains to emphasise the supremacy of Jesus. Six times in four verses Paul mentions ‘all things’, ‘all creation’ and ‘everything’ being subject to Christ.       

Verse 17 is a beautiful mystery, where it says: in him all things hold together.

What does that mean? Well, in many ways it is beyond our comprehension. Basically though, I think Paul is saying that Jesus gives coherence to all of creation, sort of like the head or the brain gives coherence to the body.

Without the head, our body could not function. But with the head, our body knows what to do and how to do it. The head keeps the heart beating, the lungs breathing, the hands working and the legs moving. So too, Jesus holds the universe together and keeps it functioning.  

Verse 16 also speaks of Jesus being in charge. Paul writes: all things (including thrones, powers, rulers and authorities) have been created… for Jesus.  To me, this speaks not just of Jesus’ power and authority over all things but also that Jesus is the goal or purpose of creation. We were made for Jesus.

There are many theories and beliefs about how the universe came into being and how it will end. One idea is that we are here by accident, a cosmic fluke, a random collection of star dust. This theory implies no one is in charge.

Some, who follow this line of thought, believe the universe is still expanding after the big bang, but eventually the force of gravity will cause the universe to contract again to a tiny singularity before blowing up once more.

An episode in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has a comic take on this idea, in which the writer imagines everybody reliving their lives again, only backwards, as the universe contracts.   

The theory of a universe that perpetually expands and contracts, in a never-ending loop, makes our lives seem pointless. It mocks our suffering and demeans our humanity.

The answer is not 42. The answer is Jesus. Jesus is in charge. Jesus is the one who holds the universe together. Jesus makes sense of it all. We do not exist for ourselves. We exist for Christ. We serve the head of the universe. This gives our lives dignity, value and meaning.

Verse 18 talks about Jesus having the supremacy in everything. We see Jesus’ supremacy (his authority over all things) on display in the gospels.

Jesus exercised authority over the weather by calming a storm.

Jesus exercised authority over gravity by walking on water.

Jesus exercised authority over unseen spiritual forces by casting out demons.

Jesus exercised authority over sickness and infirmity by healing people.

Jesus exercised intellectual authority by teaching people and exposing every false accusation for the lie that it was.   

Jesus exercised moral authority by calling people to repentance and forgiving them.

Jesus exercised authority over himself by controlling his tongue.

Jesus exercised authority over sin by resisting every temptation Satan could throw at him.

Jesus exercised authority over death by his resurrection from the dead.

Jesus exercises authority over us, not by force or coercion, but by invitation and self-giving service.  

Soren Kierkegaard tells the parable of a king which helps to illustrate the way Jesus exercises his authority.

Once there was a rich and powerful king who fell in love with a beautiful woman. This king was no ordinary king. Every statesman trembled before his authority and might. World leaders brought him tributes and honoured him with the best of everything their lands had to offer.

One day, while out walking, this most mighty of men was stopped in his tracks by the sight of a beautiful woman. The king had his intelligence service investigate the woman. She was not rich and powerful. Her parents held no influence in world affairs. She was a schoolteacher, working her way through life like everyone else.

At first the king tried to shrug his feelings off, but unexpressed love feels like pain. The more he tried to ignore what he felt the more he couldn’t help thinking about her until eventually the king could stand it no more.

There was nothing for it but to declare his love for the woman and find out if she felt the same way. Perhaps then he might find some peace.

But the king was no sooner on his way to her house than he realized something. How would he know whether she really loved him or not;

whether she would be truly happy by his side?

The king knew he could impress the woman with his power and wealth. He could visit her in his limo with all his bodyguards. He could fly her to Paris for dinner and shower her with jewellery, but grand gestures like that might only deceive them both. How would either of them know whether she loved him for who he really was and not just for his gifts.

Ironically, the king’s very power and wealth made it difficult for people to get close to him. The king didn’t want a cringing fearful subject for a wife. He wanted someone who would be honest with him. He wanted someone he could trust. He wanted a lover.

So, motivated by love for the woman, the king humbled himself. Putting aside his splendour and renown, he took on a new identity to win her hand. The king rented a place in her neighbourhood and became a carpenter, for this was the only way that she could get to know him and trust him, and maybe even want him and love him.

We are talking about how Jesus (the head of all creation) exercises his authority. Jesus is not interested in forcing or manipulating people. Jesus wants us to relate with him freely, willingly, because we trust and love him.

The headship of Christ, the authority of Jesus, is based in love, not fear.

In going to the cross for us, Jesus suffered a great deal. Among other acts of violence, he was hit over the head with sticks and made to wear a crown of thorns. Jesus’ authority comes from his costly obedience to God the Father.

Conclusion:

Kierkegaard does not tell us how the story ends. Does the carpenter king win the heart of the woman he loves? We are not told, because we are the one the king loves. The answer is up to us. How will we respond to Jesus, the head of the universe?

If we really believe that Jesus is the source of life, then we will trust him with our life. And if we truly believe that Jesus is in charge, then we will obey him, not out of fear but with reverence and love.  

Let us pray…

Gracious God, enlarge our vision of who Jesus is and why we are. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Has there been a time in your life when you saw Jesus (or God) from a different angle? What was it that gave you a new perspective? What fresh insight did you gain? 
  3. How many examples of a figurative use of the word ‘head’ can you think of? E.g. ‘the head of a river’ or ‘bring things to a head’, etc. What nuance of meaning does each of these uses carry? (E.g. what does ‘head’ mean when we speak of ‘head waters’.)
  4. What are the spiritual and practical implications for us that Jesus is the source of life? How do we stay connected to Jesus?
  5. Discuss / reflect on the fact that all things (including thrones, powers, rulers and authorities) have been created… for Jesus.  What does it mean for you personally that Jesus is the goal of creation?
  6. How is Jesus’ authority different from any other authority? Where does Jesus’ authority come from? How does Jesus exercise his authority?
  7. What does it look like to live as though Jesus is the source of life and the one in charge? Are you living in this way? Does anything need to change?

Bibliography

  • H.M. Carson, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: ‘The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians and Philemon’, 1960.
  • William Barclay, ‘The Letters to Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians’, 1970.
  • F.F. Bruce, NICNT: ‘The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians’, 1984.
  • J.K. McVay, ‘The Head’, Dictionary of Paul and his Letters, pages 375-378, 1993.
  • Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, General Editors: Leland Ryken, James Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III. ‘Head’, pages 367-368, 1998.

[1] Refer William Barclay, page 145.