Victory Through Christ

Now you've heard it from the New Testament, the place where it says Jesus conquered the devil and exposed him to open shame, robbing him of his weapons. In this era we don't really understand what it means to expose to open shame. In the Roman era when they ruled the world, sometimes a rebellion would be sparked off in a distant land, trying to secede from the Roman Empire.

Caesar would then send a general and his military to go and quell the rebellion. And when he would then fight against the rebel who was rising up against the Roman Empire, after being victorious, he would strip him of his armor and weapons, and all his military weapons, and strip him naked, tie him then behind the chariot, then drag him all the way to Rome. But before they got there, two forerunners on their horses would race into Rome saying, the rebellion has been squashed, there is victory.

And they would then have censers with scents and would be burning scents in their censers as they rode. You know how in the Roman Catholic Church, also the Anglican Church, the priest would then at a death, for instance, at a funeral, would wave this incense. And the two Roman soldiers in a scimitar would be riding and carrying then their censers, burning this so that they would proclaim, Gospel we have conquered.

There would be great joy at the victory. They would say, Gospel. And then the main army would arrive with all their chariots and weapons.

When they would enter, they would go into the main square. And right in the centre of the square was a column that was planted in the ground. They would take the rebel, the enemy, who had risen up, and tie him to this pillar right in the middle.

Hands and feet, he would be bound from his feet to the top. The enemy could not move. The rebel was then a spectacle for all to behold, both young and old.

They came in throngs to see this one who dared to rise up against the Roman Empire. Even little children could come and throw rotten tomatoes at him, at his face. Kick him.

Mock him. He was exposed to open shame. When Paul wrote, Paul wrote that Jesus removed the devil's weapons and exposed him to open shame and spectacle.

And he used this same military term, this same term that was used in a political sense, the victory. Angelion, the victor. This brought much joy.

Jesus on the cross did this victory. This was the open spectacle of the devil stripped of his weapons through the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.