I want to begin by asking you a question. In the church today, is Jesus preeminent or prominent? It is a question that not too many consider, but it is vitally important and has serious ramifications for how worship is conducted. In Colossians 1:15-18 we read: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
The word “preeminence” is a lofty word. It means the highest place of ascendency – above all, over all, surpassing all, to the point that nothing and no one else can even come close. However, if Christ is only prominent in the church (instead of rightfully preeminent), then He is simply one amongst many. It is on this point that we must act with conviction. Because the purveyors of false religion will claim that Christ is only prominent, not preeminent.
In 1893, the Worldโs Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago, and more than twenty-one million people visited the exhibits. Among the features was a โWorld Parliament of Religions,โ with representatives of the worldโs religions, meeting to share their โbest pointsโ.ย Evangelist D. L. Moody saw this as a great opportunity for evangelism. He used churches, rented theatres, and even rented a circus tent (when the show was not on!) to present the gospel of Jesus Christ.
His friends wanted Moody to attack the โParliament of Religions,โ but he refused. โI am going to make Jesus Christ so attractive,โ he said, โthat men will turn to Him.โ Moody knew that Jesus Christ was the preeminent Saviour, not just one of many โreligious leadersโ of history. The โChicago Campaignโ of 1893 was probably the greatest evangelistic endeavour in D. L. Moodyโs life, and thousands came to Christ.ย So, we can see that there is an importance between proclaiming Jesus Christ as preeminent as opposed to simply prominent.
Over 2,000 years ago, there was a man called Antiochus IV who brutally trampled and persecuted the Jewish people.ย He stripped the Jewish Temple of all its gold ornaments, offered sacrifices of swineโs flesh in the Temple, set up idols, forbade the Jews to circumcise their children and even commanded his soldiers to kill any Jew who attempted to worship at the Temple.ย In other words, he did his utmost to discourage the observance of Godโs law and the worship of God.
At that time, Hellenism was permeating throughout the Jewish homeland.ย Surprisingly, one group who enthusiastically accepted Hellenism was found amongst the Jewish priesthood.ย Predictably, the priests began to add Greek reasoning to Biblical revelation.ย So as time went on the Word of God was diluted with fallible human opinion.
At one particular point, there arose into the office of High Priest a man named Jason who was all too happy to promote the plan of Antiochus to accelerate the program of Hellenism. What is interesting is that Jason is his Greek name. His Hebrew name was Yeshua. As a High Priest, he should have been set apart from the world as a servant of God, but because he wanted to immerse himself in the Greek culture, he had Hellenized not only his name but also his heart. Rather than resisting, he conformed, as did many other Jews who opposed the strict application of Jewish law. As Hellenism was polytheistic, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was no longer preeminent โ He would have simply become prominent against the backdrop of the Greek gods.
Under Jasonโs influence, the Hellenizing process reached such a sickening conclusion that the priests ceased to show any interest in their role, thereby scorning the Temple and neglecting the sacrifices.ย Instead, their urgency for service was directed towards the activities promoted by the Greeks rather than focusing on the fact they were set apart by God to serve Him and be a light to the nations.
In fact, historical sources tell us that Jason had a gymnasium built at the foot of the Temple mount.ย Now, donโt make the mistake of thinking this was just a place to work on your physique.ย Gymnasiums were also dedicated to philosophical discussion.ย The Jewish citizen would stand on the Temple mount and see two buildings – one dedicated to the truth and service of the living God, the other dedicated to manโs philosophy.ย One in which God was preeminent and the other in which God was only prominent.ย
In Leonardo Da Vinciโs famous painting of The Last Supper, the hands of Jesus are empty. And therein lies an interesting story. Da Vinci dedicated three years to this painting, determined that it would be his crowning work. Before the unveiling, he decided to show it to a friend for whose opinion he had the utmost respect. The friendโs praise was unbounded. โThe cup in Jesusโ hand,โ he said, โis especially beautiful.โ Disappointed, Da Vinci began to paint out the cup. Astonished, the friend asked for an explanation. โNothing,โ Da Vinci explained, โmust distract from the figure of Christ.โ
That story is a sobering reminder that Christ must not be second in any way. He must not simply be prominent in our lives and in our churches, He must be upheld as He is: preeminent.
