First of all, this chapter has nothing to do with the Ten Commandment law of God, as many of us have been taught. In Colossians 2:8 it refers to "the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Towards the end of the chapter, in vs. 20 it again refers to "the basic principles of the world, why as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations..." Verse 21 says,"Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle." Notice these are not part of the Ten Commandments, either. And then verse 22 puts the "top on the sandwich" by stating "which all concern things which perish with the using - according to the commandments and doctrines of men." Again, notice it did not say commandments/doctrines of God. Sandwiched almost in the middle of these verses is verse 14, "... having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
If we continue to look at the context, verses 11-13 are right before verse 14, and are referring to circumcision versus uncircumcision. Now, along with the context of verses - we also have to think about the culture at that time. Both in Acts 15 and in Galatians, we find a conflict between the Jewish believers in the Messiah and the Gentile believers in the Messiah. This conflict was about the Jewish believers who were circumcised thinking that the Gentile believers were unclean if they were not circumcised. Paul was telling them in Col. 2:11 that when the Gentile believers came to Christ - Christ circumcised them by "putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ."
So, after looking at both the context and the culture - we better understand verse 14 that Christ has "wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." The "requirements" had to do with being circumcised in order to be a true believer in the Messiah. Being circumcised was a picture of "cutting off the flesh". But Christ, through His death on the cross, has "cut off our flesh" from us, so we have been circumcised through Him spiritually.
Col. 2:16 & 17 are really exciting verses now that we know the context and culture of this chapter. Paul is actually speaking to the Gentile believers in the Messiah and telling them they have just as much right to join in the Jewish "festivals with the new moons and the sabbaths" as the Jewish believers in the Messiah do! "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths..." Paul was telling them that because they are physically uncircumcised, that does not make them unclean and unable to worship with their fellow Jewish believers! (By the way, if you go back to Leviticus and Deuteronomy - "new moons and sabbaths (not the 7th day Sabbath) were part of Jewish festivals - and still are today.
So what about verse 17 "...which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."? As Isaiah 66:23 states, "And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the Lord. Also, Zechariah 14:16 says, "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."
It is impossible to have a "shadow" without having the "real thing" close by. The sabbaths, the Jewish Festivals, and the 7th day Sabbaths today are like a "rehearsal for a play". We take part in them, even though the Messiah is not physically here yet, because some day soon, the King is coming and He will be setting up His Kingdom here on earth in Israel - with His throne in Jerusalem. Then, it won't be "a shadow of things to come" but will be the real thing when Christ is here - "tabernacle-ing" with us once again!
So as Gentile believers in the Messiah (Jesus Christ) - my husband and I have decided to take part in these "shadow-rehearsals" so we're ready for the King's appearing which seems to be getting closer every day. Hope this little study has been helpful. We tend to forget that the Bible is a very Jewish book about a very Jewish Messiah. Jesus was a Rabbi and an "observant" Jew, which means He followed the teachings of the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) completely.
If you are interested in learning more about your "Jewish roots", there are many Messianic websites, including this one: http://www.jeremystorch.org/
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