In Paul’s time, this was a familiar scene. As the Roman emperors returned from conquest and war, they would enter the city triumphant, led by trumpets and fanfare with the streets lined with people waving palm branches in a show of victory and celebration.
But trailing behind the triumphant emperor, and behind the legions of troops who had fought the battle, were the captives, the spoils of the war. These were the people that they had won. They were the ones that were conquered, that were overtaken in the war that they had fought. These might be some of the soldiers that had surrendered, or they may have been the civilians of the lands that that been won. In either case, they were the people who now overtaken, now conquered such that they would be the captives, and what had been theirs was now the property of the Romans, including their very lives.
I believe this is the type of scene that Paul is thinking about as he refers to his experience in going to speak with others about Christ. He says that he – they, including others with whom he is doing this work – are like those people who are at the end of the procession.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
Paul is saying that they are captives in Christ’s triumphal procession. He is painting the picture of Jesus as the returning king, the one who has defeated the enemy, and they are trailing behind him, their king.
But we can imagine that these people probably didn’t smell very well. They had probably marched a long way from their homeland. They had probably sweated and maybe soiled themselves at times. They were probably being drug along by ropes and chains. They were like those people who were bringing along the end of the king’s triumphant procession.
Except this procession is led by Jesus who came to conquer sin and death. He came as a conquering king, carrying each of us along behind. Yet only to those who will be saved does the “stench” actually smell like the smell of life. On the other hand, to those who will not believe or those who will not follow Christ, to them our smell is that of death.
So in this way, we also are like Paul. We are like those who are being carried along as the captives, as the spoils of war. We are those who have been conquered, who were won by Christ and by his blood. And we also produce this smell, either of death or of life. Either life to those who are being saved, or of death to those who are perishing.