Becoming the aroma of Christ before God and humanity.
by Rick Straub
In our circus world, where senses are bombarded by the overstimulation of social media, political protests, world conflict, and personal crises, can people still be impressed by the gospel? Should we fear that the good news of Jesus has lost its power to stand and is destined to be buried below the new, the novel, the scintillating, sparkling noise of this world’s “now”?
God’s book of the gospel says otherwise. Paul states:
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 2:14, 15, NRSVUE).
Processing in triumph
Paul’s reference to “triumphal procession” compares the ministry of the new covenant with the Roman tradition of that name. The highest honor that a Roman general could receive from the state was to be granted a “triumph” by the Roman senate. A general who won a significant victory on behalf of that city could request such an honor. If granted, the triumph would consist of a parade or victory march that mustered outside the city of Rome and then proceeded into it along a route that led to the altar of Mars, the god of war.
The procession included the transported spoils of war, gold and valuable treasures, exotic animals, captive people in bonds — perhaps even a captured king or a defeated enemy’s general. As the procession passed, you would find government officials in the parade and, behind them, the general honored in a chariot drawn by four horses. He might be wearing a mask representing a god, perhaps Mars. A laurel wreath signifying victory might be held over the general’s head by a slave. The honor and prestige awarded in this triumph was second to none. In Roman terms, it added greatly to the general’s gravitas.
Following the general came his unarmed army shouting and singing praises to their commander in chief. Dancers and musicians took part in the procession. Incense was burned, as the procession was to be a sensation for all the senses.
Most Romans never experienced a triumph during their lifetime, but the ones who saw them remembered them for years and shared their experiences. The sight, the sound, the smell, the vibrations under foot of the passing triumphant force signaled victory for the general, the army, the state, the empire. Monuments commemorated it. The triumph was about victory, but also about spectacle and glory.
Gospel fragrance
Out of the metaphor of the triumphal procession, Paul highlights its impact on the nose, our sense of smell. Paul sees his role in the procession as the burner of incense. The spectacular and glorious are left to God. God is leading, directing, and orchestrating the triumphal procession. Paul is following along with his fellow incense burners, generating the fragrance that will be carried on the wind to the world through which the procession marches.
The fragrance is not unimportant. It is said that the sense of smell is tied closely to our memories. The fragrance of the gospel should cause the ones who are positively affected to be led by their noses to Jesus.
The aroma metaphor is instructive in our ministry of the gospel. It includes the element of wind — the breeze of the Spirit — that guides and directs the gospel message. If we stay within the procession, following our triumphant Lord; if we remain faithful in thought, word, and deed, the profession of our faith will be carried where it is needed through the Spirit. We should not go out on our own, searching for the spectacular and glorious. We find all the glory necessary in following Jesus. If we express the gospel faithfully, the breeze of the Spirit will give it direction.
Mixed results
Paul warns that the impact of the gospel will be different on different people. Those being saved by the message of Jesus receive it one way, but others reject it: “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 2:16).
Sadly, not everyone values the gospel and our role in sharing it. While some love us because they have found life’s answer in Jesus, others loath us because they loath our message of faith. To the latter we have the stench of a corpse. They hold their noses and run, throwing a few stones in our direction, hoping that we and our “smell” will just go away.
Who is equal to such a task? We may be inclined to answer, “Nobody.” Our human desire to impress everyone, to be loved by all, is strong. Such should not be our expectation as those sharing the gospel. The good news divides the saved from the perishing, the accepters of Jesus from His rejectors, the ones who desire to have standing in the kingdoms of this world versus those who seek the kingdom of God.
Paul answers his open-ended question a few verses later:
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (3:5, 6).
Glory of Jesus
The triumphal procession we join is not one in which a general wears the mask of a warrior god to imitate the appearance of a deity. It is not even the glory of the face of Moses, whose face shone because he was in the presence of God. No, the glory of the One we follow in triumphant procession is true deity, seen in the face of Jesus. It is a glory so great that, as we look upon His face, we are transformed into His likeness (v. 18).
Again, Paul reminds us that the gospel message, though triumphant through God, is not always accepted by this world.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (4:4-7).
God’s glory seen in Jesus is the treasure we possess. The power of God in our lives makes the ministry of the gospel possible. It is not a treasure to be hidden but revealed and shared.
We ask, as Paul did, “Who is equal to such a task?” Here Paul gives a more extended answer of how one prevails through the hardships of Christian service:
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (vv. 8-10).
In a world that dwells on misery, death, despair, and depression, we glory in One who represents the power of healing and life, joy and peace. In triumphal procession we march with the host of Christ’s followers. We share the incense of His love, the knowledge of His glory.
Eternal glory
But there is more.
In Rome, the triumphal procession would sometimes last several days, perhaps accompanied by a week of games and entertainment. But this is still only momentary in the scope of history. Paul admonishes his readers not to lose heart, because an eternal glory awaits the faithful who endure through the fleeting moments of hardship
(vv. 16, 17).
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not weak, outdated, or insignificant. It is powerful, triumphant, and glorious. We are not called to be spectators, sitting in the shade while the triumph’s participants march past. We are called to join the parade, to march with our glorious Lord.
Are we up to the task? Yes, if we carry with us the treasure of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Will we be able to stand up to hardships that come with the march? Yes, if we realize that the momentary difficulties of the march are nothing compared to the eternal glory that awaits us at the end. If you are not part of this triumphal parade, join it! If you are marching with our Lord, keep it up! You are changing lives as the aroma of Christ drifts to the world on the breeze of the Spirit.
