1212) I had the privilege of hearing a gentleman speak several years ago; he was a survivor of Auschwitz. I took a group of 7th graders to hear him and was not prepared for what I heard. He spoke with pride of his Jewish heritage, but also of the atrocities of being held captive in this concentration camp. With over 40 years between his captivity and the day he spoke to us, the passion, grief, pain, confusion and more could be felt. Though I knew of many of the things he spoke to us about, hearing it right from someone who was there made a huge impression on me and, hopefully, my students.
As I consider Colossians 2:8, this gentleman came to mind. Paul warns in this verse to not allow deceptive philosophy take you captive. The Greek word for captive as used in this verse is sulagógeó, which means to be taken captive as one is during a war.
Why would Paul say not to let deceptive philosophy take you captive? To be taken captive in war it means perhaps you were ambushed first. Maybe you are shot down? Maybe you aren’t paying attention when you should be. Maybe you are tricked into captivity. Maybe your country wasn’t “strong” enough–in multiple ways. Whatever the reason, Paul knew captivity is often a heavy burden to take on, even if you survive it.
Because of this, Paul is saying here that you must take an active part in considering the philosophies that come your way. Think through the validity of them and not just assume others know better than you. Learn to think critically and how to study the Bible so you can improve in this. It’s vital.
In some ways, captivity can be a choice.
