Opening Scripture:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Messiah.” Colossians 2:16–17
Introduction:
Shalom, beloved. Today we address a passage often misunderstood, misquoted, and misused to promote the idea that Yah’s eternal laws—His dietary laws, Sabbath observance, and festivals—have been abolished. This interpretation directly contradicts Yahusha’s own words in Matthew 5:17:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
Let us examine the words of Paul in context, and with reverence for the full counsel of Scripture.
1. Context of Paul’s Letter to the Colossians
Paul was writing to believers in Colossae, a city steeped in paganism, Gnosticism, and asceticism. The Colossian assembly had begun to face judgment and pressure from outsiders—both pagans and legalists—who neither understood Torah nor the liberty found in Messiah Yahusha.
When Paul says, “Let no man therefore judge you…,” he’s not speaking against the Torah, but against those outside the body who were judging believers for keeping it!
🔑 Key Insight: Paul is saying, “Don’t let outsiders condemn you for your obedience to Yah’s ways in Messiah!”
2. What Does Paul Mean by “Meat” and “Drink”?
Many assume Paul is referring to unclean foods. But that is not what the text says. Let’s look at the Greek:
Meat (Greek: brosis) — Often refers to eating practices, not just the food itself.
Drink (Greek: posis) — Refers to drink offerings or regulated drink observances.
This means Paul is likely referencing dietary practices associated with feasts and offerings, not whether believers were eating pork or shellfish. There is no verse in the Torah that allows unclean animals to become clean.
3. “Which Are a Shadow of Things to Come” — Not Past!
Paul says these practices are a shadow of things to come, not things that have passed away.
This is vital. The feast days, Sabbaths, and even dietary disciplines are prophetic shadows pointing to future fulfillments in Messiah.
For instance:
Passover points to Yahusha’s death.
Shavuot (Pentecost) to the giving of the Spirit. Yom Teruah to His return.
So if the fulfillment is still to come, how can the shadow be abolished?
4. The Body of Messiah — Not the World — Has Authority to Judge
Paul finishes in Colossians 2:17:
“…but the body is of Messiah.”
Some translations render this better:
“…but the reality is found in Messiah.”
Or even more accurately:
“…but let the body of Messiah be the judge.”
This implies: Let those within the body—those who understand Torah and its spiritual meaning in Messiah—be the ones to guide and correct, not unbelievers, Gnostics, or ascetics promoting man-made rules.
5. Supporting Scripture: Paul Upholds the Law
Paul never taught that the Torah was abolished. He says:
“Do we then make void the law through faith? Elohim forbid: yea, we establish the law.”
— Romans 3:31
And in Acts 24:14:
“But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the Elohim of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.”
Paul kept the dietary laws. He circumcised Timothy. He took part in temple rituals. His “freedom” in Messiah was not freedom from Torah, but freedom from condemnation and man-made traditions.
6. What Was Being Abolished? Man’s Doctrines — Not Yah’s Commandments
If we go earlier in Colossians 2:8:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men…”
And Colossians 2:22:
“Which all are to perish with the using; after the commandments and doctrines of men?”
Man’s traditions—not Yah’s Torah—are what Paul warned against. These included:
Gnostic teachings that despised the physical body Ascetic practices like forbidding marriage or eating certain foods (1 Timothy 4:3) Pagan critiques of biblical observances
7. Conclusion: Remain Faithful to Yahuah’s Eternal Instructions
Beloved, let no man judge you for your obedience to Yah’s Word. If you rest on the Sabbath, avoid unclean foods, keep the moedim (feast days), and eat and drink according to Torah—do so with boldness and joy.
You are not under bondage. You are walking in holiness.
Let the world mock. Let the religious twist Scripture. But you—you keep the commandments of Yahuah and the faith of Yahusha (Revelation 14:12).
Final Word:
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
— Revelation 22:14
Shalom aleichem, and may you stand unshaken in the way of truth.
Rabbi Reuben
"Torah Truth Revealed in Yeshua the Messiah" 