“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2 v 14)
All over the world at various time zones the cross of Christ will be the major focus of every worship service. It is Good Friday. It is not the day of defeat but it is the day of victory.
Into the context of the Corinthian Church saying Paul was unreliable because he said he would visit them but didn’t, comes the most amazing sentence!
Paul says:
• I am following God and so I thank Him. All that He has done in my life, I thank Him.
• I am in a grand parade of Jesus Christ who is the conquering leader. That’s how we live. We are walking in His victorious walk.
• However I am not leading the way alongside Christ. No. He has captured me. I am a captive. I am not the prominent one. He is.
• This parade of Christ (as what happened coming down from the Mount of Olives) led to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Victory is seen in the sacrifice. It is still demonstrated like that in our own lives.
• The sacrifice of Christ produced an aroma, it could have been bad, for many death is indeed bad, but for those following Christ, it is a sweet smelling fragrance (Phil 4:18) as we spread the gospel everywhere.
• For the crucifixion to be seen as a sacrifice and the news of it as an aroma would sound ludicrous, but for those who understand it then it becomes transformative as they, being captives of Christ, go to their own cross and die to Christ knowing that life is the next chapter!
Indeed today we do celebrate Christ’s Victory!
Missions Paul 