You disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them. (Colossians 2:15)
To be made a public spectacle means to be made to look ridiculous. Jesus made every demonic power of opposition arrayed against his kingdom look ridiculous on the day he died on the cross. He accomplished this through a bit of irony; on the cross, Jesus hung virtually naked before the world. To the powers and principalities aligned against him, he appeared to have been defeated. But had they known the Father’s purpose behind the cross, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot, inciting him to betray Jesus and hand him over to death. But if Satan would have known that the death of Christ would spell his own defeat, he would have rather worked to prevent the crucifixion.
I wish I could have seen the look on Satan’s face at the moment Jesus said, “It is finished.” Wait a minute, what is finished? You’ve been beaten, why are you talking as if you have just accomplished something? Discernment must have kicked in for Satan at that moment. Something doesn’t feel right. God’s up to something!
What I wouldn’t give to see the look on Satan’s face the moment Jesus breathed his last and graves started opening up and dead folk started to arise. Who’s laughing now, devil? Who’s the object of ridicule now? Satan forever will look to the cross and remember that he helped procure his own eternal defeat, Jesus’ eternal victory, and our eternal salvation.
When we look to the cross, we must remember that what looks like humiliation and defeat is often our moment of greatest triumph. We do not fear. We do not lose heart. We do not back down. We do not surrender, except to Jesus and to his cross. If we keep this in mind, we will do well.
