Following the Leader

By Dean Collins

The church at Corinth couldn’t quite figure out what to think of Paul. Similarly, the more we follow Jesus, the more the people around us may have trouble figuring us out as well!

I am thinking about the last four verses of 2 Corinthians 2, as I read the third chapter. When Paul wrote his letters, he didn’t have chapters and verses. Those helpful features were added later by editors who helped create the New Testament as we know it. Sometimes when we are reading scripture, we stop at the end of the thought and when we see a new chapter, we think of it as new and not necessarily related content.

Paul described a wonderful and triumphant procession as he concluded chapter two. We should note who is leading the parade and who is following. “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession.” God himself, through his son Jesus, is the leader. Everyone else who follows Christ gets to walk along in the parade. Even Paul, who would become the best-known missionary and most prolific writer of the apostles, is a follower.

In the ancient world where Rome had dominion, Paul’s readers might have imagined this parade as taking place in the capital city of Rome. Paul is clearly indicating that the procession led by Jesus is even greater than anything Rome could offer. The King of kings is the ultimate leader in the new and expanding kingdom of God.

Paul sent the signal to the church that Jesus was both their and his leader. But he also explained that he and we are not selling snake oil or peddling any fake news. We, as men and women of sincere faith, are commissioned by God to speak the name and message of Jesus wherever we go. Paul indicated that his role was simply to share Jesus over himself.

As Paul continues in the third chapter, he is trying to stress that the church of Corinth came to be not because of Paul or his leadership but rather because of the power of the gospel that Paul shared. Why would he need to be commended? The very existence of the church in Corinth is because they had received the gospel and been transformed by its power. Just as Christ leads the procession, the Holy Spirit of God writes the royal law of love on the hearts of every believer.

Paul refers to the well-established traditions of the law of Moses but then points out that the law of Moses did not offer life. Only in the new covenant that Jesus initiated can anyone truly become forgiven and find freedom. Laws tell us what we are not to do, and they also stir in us a desire to do things our way, which actually robs us of the life that Christ has provided.

Back to the parade Paul mentioned in chapter two. We do not walk in a procession that binds us or brings about death. We walk alongside Paul and behind Christ because our eyes are now open and our hearts are filled with the Holy Spirit. We walk in celebration of the goodness and mercy of God that flows in us as we enjoy the freedom of Christ because we have been set free from the bondage of our sins. Praise be to God!

Father, thank you for such a beautiful picture of walking behind Jesus as we spread the good news of Jesus everywhere we go. Fill us with the love of Jesus so that all our words and actions bring glory to you and lead to the salvation of those still lost in sin. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians 2:14-17, 2 Corinthians 3:1-18 ESV

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