Colossians 2:15

Having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

The principalities and the powers ... These are understood to be the ranking members of the Jewish hierarchy in Jerusalem, and also inclusive perhaps of the Roman procurator who in Paul's time had already come to receive the eternal infamy of the lines, "Suffered under Pontius Pilate."

Of course, this view is disputed. Peake noted that "almost every word in this verse" is disputed by scholars.[41] On the identification of "principalities and powers," Nielson thought they were "demonic forces";[42] Dummelow was sure that "they were the angels who gave the Law";[43] and Guthrie thought they "were spiritual enemies."[44]

In it ... is also disputed, some thinking it means "in him"; but we shall offer the exegesis on the basis of the translation before us. Here, too, if this is allowed, the antecedent of "it" becomes a factor in the interpretation. Since the overall subject of this whole section is the Law of Moses, we shall take the Law itself as the antecedent of "it," making the passage read that Jesus triumphed "over them in it." The them, of course, as already noted, is seen as reference to the religious and political rulers before whom the ministry and Passion of Jesus were enacted. This interpretation has the great advantage of being backed up by the entire Sermon on the Mount, and by all of those astounding events that frustrated and defeated the hierarchy of Israel.

Jesus Christ took up the great moral commandments of the Decalogue, one at a time, quoted each one, opposed his own authority against it, showing that one could indeed keep every command in the Decalogue and yet remain a scoundrel and a rogue; if there were ever a case of Jesus triumphing over the Pharisees in the Law of Moses, that has to be the time. Furthermore, he triumphed over them in the Law on another salient front. They repeatedly accused him of sabbath-breaking; but Jesus destroyed their sabbath regulations by showing that they were of men and not of the Father; and by the time of the confrontation before Pilate, the Pharisees no longer even alleged that Jesus broke the sabbath. (It is still alleged by some, quite erroneously, that Jesus broke the sabbath "for sufficient cause.") For a full discussion of "Jesus' Triumphing over the Hierarchy in the Law of Moses," see my Commentary on Matthew, under that title. It is the opinion of this writer that this interpretation removes all difficulties of understanding this admittedly difficult passage, and avoids the near-impossible task of showing how Jesus triumphed "openly" over either angels or devils.

[41] A. S. Peake, op. cit., p. 528.

[42] John B. Nielson, op. cit., p. 404.

[43] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 983.

[44] Donald Guthrie, op. cit., p. 1147.