Shadow and Reality: Colossians 2:16-23

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

The false teachers had arrived in Colossae. Or perhaps they had always been there, waiting. Either way, their message was spreading.

You need more than Christ, they said. You need the festivals. You need the food laws. You need the calendar observances.

Some were Jewish—insisting on Torah observance. Others blended Jewish practices with Greek philosophy. Still others added elements no one could quite trace.