Fragrance of Christ

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17; 3:5

One early spring afternoon, my sister, Gail, and I were walking in the park by our house.  She began sniffing the air and said, “Ah, just smell that wonderful aroma!”  We soon came upon a beautiful flowering lilac bush, where Gail was savoring the scent.  For me, however, the fragrance had become pervasive.  I wanted to walk faster to get away from the smell.

 

You see, my nose interprets lilac scent differently than my sister’s, especially at close range!  I guess you would say that, just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so the pleasantness (of a smell) is in the nose of the one smelling!  The fact is, lilacs are fragrant.  They are there on the bush for smelling.  If you like the fragrance of lilacs, you like its smell.  But, if you don’t, you have an opposite reaction.

 

 

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul shows this to be true spiritually, as well.  “[God] manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  We are a fragrance of Christ…among those being saved and…those who are perishing (vs 14b-15).”  The fragrance of Christ is in us and is there for the smelling.  To those around us who are open and receptive to Christ, it is a pleasant aroma of life; to those who are indifferent or opposed to Christ, it is a pungent aroma, the scent of death. 

So, some will welcome us for our sweet aroma in Christ, while many more will treat us like we have BO!  We are not like lilacs that have no relationship with those around them and remain unaffected by their responses.  We, however, can be either uplifted or dejected and discouraged by people’s various reactions to our fragrance.  We may begin to feel ourselves insufficient to be Christ’s aroma-bearer.  Even Paul in verse 16 asks, “And who is adequate for these things?”   

Later, in chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians, he answers his own question for himself and us: “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves but our adequacy is from God (vs 5).”  Amen, and praise You, Lord, that You give us what we need to represent you in this sin-sick world!  You desire that all respond to Christ’s aroma as a pleasant fragrance to their souls. Some will, some will not, but may I always be Your sweet aroma to all.