Colossians 2:14-15
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.
It is sometimes said that, “everyone loves a parade.” While I’m not sure that’s always true, some parades are certainly more fun than others. Some of us are old enough to remember the victory parade of the Chicago Bears after they won the Super Bowl in January, 1986. Others may even remember the victory parades that celebrated the end of World War II. We can only imagine what the streets of Chicago would look like if the Cubs ever win the World Series!
A victory parade, whether for a championship sports team or for a successful military campaign, is always a joyous and triumphant occasion.
Paul is talking about very specific kind of victory parade in Colossians 2.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.
Paul is using an image that his readers would have recognized. It was common for the Romans to celebrate a great military conquest in what was called a “triumphal procession.” This was a kind of victory parade in which the victorious Roman general was paraded through the streets to receive the adoration of the people. But the victorious general also brought with him the conquered generals of the enemy forces. While the victorious general received the praise of the people, his conquered captives were disarmed, stripped of their armor, bound and exposed to public disgrace.
Now to us this seems a bit like rubbing salt in the wound. It would be like the ’85 Bears making the defeated New Orleans Saints team march in their victory parade in only their undergarments. But this triumphal procession served a powerful purpose; it demonstrated to the people that their enemies had been completely defeated, disarmed, and were no longer to be feared.
This is what God is saying to us.
When Paul says “powers and authorities” he is referring to what he calls the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” in Ephesians 6:12. This is rather mysterious language but what is clear is that Paul believed that Satan is real and is the enemy of God.
As followers of Jesus we are to be aware of our enemy and his deceptive schemes, but we are not to fear. Whatever else we may or may not understand about Satan, and there is certainly much I do not understand, we are to understand this: he is already defeated.
Paul uses the most dramatic imagery possible to show us that our fearsome enemy has already been defeated, disarmed, and paraded in shame by the victorious Christ.
This is the triumph of the cross!
Brian Coffey
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