What kind of people receive the applause of heaven?
Jan 28, 2012
The Vase for Grace - the Grace of God from 2 Corinthians, part four
By Mike Gaudet
Powerful and popular people receive the applause of men.
What kind of people receive the applause of heaven?
“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.” 2 Corinthians 2:14
When the Roman Army returned victorious from battle, they were paraded through the streets of Rome. At the center of the procession the Roman general rode in a chariot with the conquered army soldiers walking in his wake . . . being led in triumphal possession. This is the picture Paul paints when he proclaims that God “always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.”
At first glance, this is a flattering image.
God’s children in full battle regalia.
Jesus at the center of the parade.
The defeated forces of darkness shuffling behind the chariot.
However, this is not the picture being painted. When we look carefully, we notice that it is children of God who are walking behind the general’s chariot, bearing disgrace, being subjected to public humiliation.
God’s children shuffling behind the chariot.
The Christians in Corinth were so enamored with the idea of victory in Jesus that they forgot one crucial fact: Before Jesus was raised in power, “he was crucified in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 13:4
Paul’s detractors in Corinth pointed to his sufferings as proof that he was a second-rate apostle. They argued that insulation from harsh treatment is a means by which God identifies those He has chosen to be His representatives. In their minds, Paul’s scars disqualified Him. God’s children walk in front of the chariot, not behind it!
Paul flatly disagreed. He viewed his scars as, “the marks of Jesus.” Galatians 6:17 He identified Christians with those who are being led in triumphal procession . . . with those who are mocked and ridiculed as they’re paraded through the city streets . . .
. . . just like Jesus was.
Those through whom God “spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him” will walk with Jesus to do so . . . behind the chariot, not in front of it.
Paul soberly reminds the Corinthian Christians that those to whom and through whom spiritual life is reproduced will suffer. “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:11-12
Reproduction is painful. This is true in both the physical and the spiritual realm. When spiritual life is conceived and delivered, someone will have the labor pains to show for it.
Amy Carmichael was a missionary to India. In the 1920s, she rescued hundreds of orphaned children. In 1931 she prayed, “God, please do with me whatever you want. Do anything that will help me to serve you better.”
The same day she fell, suffering fractures that would cripple her for the rest of her life. This gave her time to write books, poems, and letters which have been shared around the world. The unique perspective she gained from her suffering is reflected in her poem, ‘Has Thou No Scar.”
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star
Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent,
Leaned me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that encompassed me, I swooned;
Hast thou no wound?
No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the master shall the servant be
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has nor wound nor scar?
It’s a mistake to equate heavenly power with earthly popularity. We are apt to view power and influence as marks of divine approval.
In heaven, those with spiritual authority have the scars to show for it.