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"Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gather together, and
appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land; for great shall be
the day of Jezreel" (Hos. 1: 11).
"Their King shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them" (Mic. 2: 13).
In the N.T. we find five references to Christ as "the Head of the corner"
(Matt. 21: 42; Mark 12: 10; Luke 20: 17; Acts 4: 11, and I Pet. 2: 7), each passage
dealing with the purpose of God as it pertains to Israel.
In I Cor. 11: 3, the reference is as wide as mankind: "The head of every man is
Christ." This is not limited to the believer; just as it is true that the head of every woman
is the man, whether they believe or not. The origin and basis of this headship is found in
creation.
The Greek word kephale (translated "head") occurs seven times in the prison epistles,
and as this word stands for so much that is important to the believer to-day, we will give
each reference and indicate its relationship to the whole:--
The seven occurrences of "Head".
A | Eph. 1: 21, 22. Head over all things. Including principality and power.
B | Eph. 4: 15, 16. Head, even Christ. From whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth . . . . . maketh increase of the body.
C | Eph. 5: 23. Husband is head, even as Christ is Head of the Church.
C | Col. 1: 18. He is the Head of the body, the Church.
A | Col. 2: 10. Head of all principality and power.
B | Col. 2: 19. Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having
nourishment ministered, and knit together,
increaseth with the increase of God.
While it would be interesting to take each of the above references both separately and
in relation to the corresponding member, our immediate concern is with Col. 2: 19. We
shall be helped by considering the parallel passage in Eph. 4: Let us observe its context.
Eph. 4: 15 comes in the practical section of the epistle, which opens with an exhortation
to a walk that is worthy, and the necessity of true humility (the word "lowliness" in
Eph. 4: 2 being translated in Acts 20: 19 "humility of mind"). The goal before the
believer is his "perfecting", and his standard "the perfect man, the measure of the stature
of the fullness of the Christ". He is warned against the "sleight of men and cunning
craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive". They are to "grow up" and "make
increase" in relation to Christ, the Head, and to the members of His body.
The reference in Col. 2: 19 likewise comes in a practical section. It, too, opens with
an exhortation concerning walk:--
"As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Col. 2: 6).