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.
Paul now moves on to tell us the relationship Jesus has to the church. We know He is over all creation and that He existed before there was anything to be over. So Paul moves to giving us a picture of where Jesus stands in relationship to the church. First Paul states that Jesus is the head of the body. The head is in charge of the body. It gives all the commands. It guides and protects from harm. If the brain is dead, we know life cannot continue. Next Paul says that Jesus is the first in the resurrection line. He is first both in time and in position in that line. He is the first to rise from the dead and stay alive, and the One who is the most important person to be in line. He led the way. He was in the line in order to restore us to our position in the line. That is why Jesus has supremacy. He has first place in relationship to everything, whether in the Church or in creation. This reality flies in the face of so many today who want to turn Jesus into something other than the Creator God. They want Him to be a prophet so they can dismiss His demands on their lives. Prophets only speak to religious topics. And since our Western world is trying to silence any demands on our lives, it is an easy way to silence Jesus’ demands. We are “free” to choose what we want. Freedom has become our god! Paul by contrast says that Jesus is in that one position in the universe to place demands on us. He has supremacy (first place) and He wants us to acknowledge this fact and live our lives in a way that show the world that He has supremacy in our lives as well.
The Arnold Journey 