Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. [2 Corinthians 2:14]
What is your favorite scent? What aroma do you find most tantalizing? The smell of baking bread? The way the air is perfumed after a rain? What perfume really pleases you? The apostle Paul spoke of his favorite scent in 2 Corinthians 2:14. To understand the context, you have to attend a once-in-a-lifetime Roman parade!
In Paul’s day, after a hard-fought, long and arduous campaign, the victorious Roman general would return home in a triumphant, loud, colorful, parade. What a spectacle! The procession would be led by state officials followed by trumpeters filling the city with ear-splitting blasts. Then large drawings and of the conquered lands and models of fallen citadels would be carried in to the cheers of the crowd. A white bull, destined to be sacrificed, was also a part of spectacle. Chained captive princes, leaders, and generals came next, knowing that prison and execution awaited them at the parade’s conclusion. Officers in charge of punishment, called lictors, brandished their rods as they followed the prisoners. Then came the musicians with lyres followed by priests swinging their censers with sweet smelling incense burning in them. Finally, the general and his army paraded in, wearing all their decorations and garlands, shouting, “lo triumphe!” a cry of triumph. What sights! What sounds! What sweet aromas! Feast your eyes, indulge your nose, for you may never see or smell another one of these parades in your lifetime!
This is the picture Paul has in mind in 2 Corinthians 2:14. He sees Jesus, God’s Christ, marching in triumph throughout the world in a victorious, fragrant parade. You and I, as believers, are part of that magnificent profession! The loving, Christ-like way in which we live our lives is the perfume that wafts over the onlookers, drawing them to Jesus. All the sweetness, tenderness, courtesy, unselfishness, and desire to build others up combine to make the “fragrance of Christ” a scent of selfless love that invites others to join the parade.
Realizing that you and I leave a spiritual scent-trail as we move through each day, perhaps we should ask ourselves, “What kind of aroma or odor does my behavior and attitude release into the world?” I have to confess that my times of selfishness or anger have released some pretty noxious clouds of “Stephanie-stink” into the room. The “fragrance of Christ” was nowhere to be found! No wonder people ran for their lives!
The key to perfuming the world with the love of Christ begins the moment we awaken in the morning. We can pray, “Holy Spirit, help me choose the right scent today. I want to smell like Jesus.” As believers, we can ask our divine Coach to energize our desire to wear Eau de Love instead of going out into the world reeking of self-pity, self-righteousness, or any of the other stenches that come from our smelly, unwashed flesh. We can pray for help because our Daddy-God, our Abba receives us with such grace and mercy. When he sniffs the stink of self, He tells us that we don’t smell good, then offers to wash us with the healing soap of His Word. Our job is to admit we stink, jump in the tub, then, in gratitude for Jesus’ love for us, carry His perfume out into the world.
BY: Stephanie Murillo
Scripture Soap:
- 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
- Ezekiel 20:41
- Ephesians 4:2, 15
- Ephesians 5: 2
- Psalm 51