July 20, 2023 | Be On Mission
The Aroma of Christ
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2(NIV)
1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.
14 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. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 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? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.
Devotional
Let us not forget that Corinth was in the heart of the Roman Empire. The people of Corinth would have been familiar with a royal victory parade. A conquering general or emperor would ride in a chariot, surrounded by chained prisoners of war and shouting victorious warriors. Priests would burn incense to the Greek gods, an aroma that reminded the victors that they were triumphant, but told the captives that they were marching toward death.
Using the metaphor, Christ is the conquering king and Christians are the captives. To the watching world, followers of Jesus were clutching onto their faith in futility, marching toward their own demise and death. But from the vantage point of the throne of heaven, they were following the way that leads to eternal life.
One of my good friends is a hog farmer. Whenever he would give me a lift in his work truck, I would tell him how much it stunk. He would laugh and say, “It’s the aroma of profits.” I suppose to the pigs it was the aroma of death.
I’ve also spent a lot of time around teenage boys. A locker room, or a teen’s bedroom, or a church camp cabin in the summer with three pairs of tennis shoes per kid has a distinct aroma. Some might call it the smell of growing up. I still think of it as the smell of death.
Funny thing about aromas. Some love the smell of garlic, onions, lemons, perfumes, and eggs. Others get nauseated at the thought of them. Paul is saying that is how it is with the gospel of Christ. Some love the aroma of Christ as if it were a fresh bakery. Others find Jesus repugnant, believing that those who believe in Him are the real fools.
How about you? What does the phrase “aroma of Christ” bring to your mind?
Poem
The Aroma Of Forgiveness
The stench of death, the rotting sin
The putrid breath, the hate within
Cannot be hid or covered o’er
Or sprayed with aerosol, restored
Only the oil of Righteous’ balm
Can cover leprous stench and tomb
Aroma of forgiveness giv’n
By prayer and fasting start, begin
‘Til all the world is reconciled
By Jesus, Heaven’s Holy child
Who came to die that we might live
To shed his blood, forgiveness give
How sweet the smell, perfuming air
When breach of kindred is repaired
