Colossians 1:20-29 ..Bringing it all together

²⁰And, having made peace (to harmonize*) through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile (to restore to friendship) all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

(*to bring into consonance or accord)

²¹And you, that were sometime (previously) alienated (an outsider) and enemies (hatred) in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (to restore to friendship)

²²In the body of his flesh through death, to present (to exhibit, proffer) you holy and unblameable (faultless) and unreproveable (unaccused) in his sight:

²³If ye continue (remain) in the faith (firmly persuaded) grounded (in the foundations) and settled (unmoveable), and be not moved (removed) away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

²⁴Who (Paul referring to himself) now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up* that which is behind (lacking) of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s (the called out ones in Yeshua) sake, which is the church:

(*G466 ἀνταναπληρόω antanapleroo – to supplement.)

²⁵Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation* of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

(*G3622 οἰκονομία oikonomia (oi-ko-no-miy’-a) n. Administration of a household or estate. This would be none other than the House of Israel.)

²⁶Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

(This is the mystery of how God could reconcile the divorced House of Israel according to Torah. Yeshua fulfills this mystery through death & resurrection.)

Deuteronomy 24:4 “Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”

²⁷To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Acts 21:18-24 “And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses,”

(Paul is being accused of teaching converts to forsake the Torah, even before his death they were twisting Paul’s teachings.)

“saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.”

The elders knew Paul kept the Torah and they wanted to make a public display of such to affirm Paul’s position among the community.

²⁸Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect (complete) in Christ Jesus:

(1 John 2:1-7 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.”)

²⁹Whereunto I also labour (work hard), striving (struggling) according to his working (energy), which worketh in me mightily.