Today's chapter is a reminder of the need for context as we read and interpret the Scripture. In 2 Corinthians 2:14, Paul writes: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him." Here we have what is probably one of the most misinterpreted verses in the New Testament, all because of a lack of historical context.
Many times, I have heard this verse used to speak of the victorious Christian and a victorious Christian life. That interpretation make sense. When you think of a triumphal parade, what do you think of? I think of the Yankees or Giants traveling down the Canyon of Heroes after another victory in their sport. I see ticker tape in the air and hear the roar of an adoring crowd. To us, being led in triumphal procession is about conquest and victory and celebration and joy. In our twenty first century context, this verse tells us that Christ makes us victors and that he fills us with material blessings and with triumph over our hurts and hardships. To us, 2 Corinthians 2:14 is the type of verse that we put on nicely decorated plaques and hang on our walls because it tells us that we as Christians have it made. We are victors in all our troubles in Christ.
That is how we in the twenty-first century think of triumphal processions. It is not how Paul thought of them. Our view of triumphal processions does not reflect the point that Paul is making. I guess the Romans were like us in many ways. They liked parades. And so when a general won a battle over a particularly hated or powerful enemy, the Romans would throw a parade. The General responsible for the victory would wear special clothes and ride in a special chariot, and he would march with his victorious troops into the city to be cheered by the populace. Still sounds like the Yankees or Giants in the Canyon of Heroes, right? Well, not quite. Earlier this year, when the Giants had their triumphant march through Manhattan, they didn't have the Patriots, the team they defeated, in tow. The Patriots weren't forced to march down Broadway in chains as a sign of their having been vanquished. In the first century, Romans did make their enemies march in the parade. They would be chained and shackled and forced to march through the city as a humiliation for their defeat. Then, at the end of the parade, the enemies might be sold as slaves. More likely, they would be killed, often in gruesome and savage ways. In the triumphal parade, the enemies weren't celebrating victory. They were being marched in shame and ignominy to a violent death.
Note carefully how Paul describes himself in verse 14. He is being led in triumphal procession. He is not marching in triumphal procession or participating in triumphal procession. He is being led in it, like a defeated warrior marching in shame to his death. Paul's point is certainly not that he is ashamed of the Gospel or of his service for God. We know from Paul's other letters that, that would be reading the metaphor too broadly. Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel or of Jesus in any way. As a missionary, however, Paul faced many hardships. He suffered beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, etc. In the world's terms, Paul was broken, beaten, and defeated. But Paul knew that through his weakness the power of Christ was shown.
2 Corinthians 2:14 does not teach us that our Christian life is a grand stroll in the park. Quite the opposite. It teaches us that our Christian life will be hard. For Paul, it was hard enough that he would have to face the prospect of a violent death for his testimony for Jesus. But even in Paul's weakness- especially in Paul's weakness- the power of Christ shone through. As Christians, every moment will not be victory. But in our weakness, Christ is most powerfully revealed.
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