How Do You Smell? September 18 Readings: Ecclesiastes 11-12, 2 Corinthians 1:12–2:17, Psalm 106:35–41, Proverbs 23:9–10

Links to September 18 Readings: Ecclesiastes 11-12, 2 Corinthians 1:12–2:17, Psalm 106:35–41, Proverbs 23:9–10

Unfortunately, 2 Corinthians 2:14 just isn't translated very well in the Bible we are using in the links above. The better translation, as referenced in the notes at the bottom of the page, is this:

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession...

Sounds great, doesn't it? Life in Jesus is one victory after another; a life of triumph over every problem life throws at us. Maybe the televangelists were right after all.

Uh...no. The picture here is one that people in the Roman world would have understood even if we do not. The passage does not say that God always gives us everything we want or causes us win all the time. It says that he leads us in a "triumphal procession." What on earth is that?

When a Roman general would go off to battle and come home victorious, he would receive a "triumph" when he returned home. He would go on a parade through the town with crowds cheering him along the way. With him, in the procession, would be representatives of the defeated army, who would be marched through the town to their shame. Often, at the end of the triumph, they were executed.

So, a triumphal procession is a parade in which the conquering general leads the defeated armies through the city and receives honor and glory for his exploits. 

That leaves only the question, who are we in this scenario? Of course, we'd like to cast ourselves as the conquering general, but that's not what's going on. The conqueror is Jesus Christ, who through his death and resurrection conquered all of humanity's true enemies - death, hell, sin, and Satan.

Oh, and there is one more group that was defeated that day. Sinful humanity which set itself against God. That is who we are. We are the defeated army! God has conquered our stubborn and sinful wills through the cross and brought us under obedience to Christ. We have been conquered by his love and now we are paraded through the world to display his might and power!

It is quite an honor to be the defeated in Jesus' triumphal procession. Roman generals often put their conquered soldiers to death. But our conquering general gives us life - eternal and abundant. We have been defeated by the glory of Christ and because of that we have hope for all eternity.

The verse (14) goes on to say one more thing about this processional.

And through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. 

As the triumphal procession went through the town, incense was lit to give off an aroma, so that even after the general and his caravan had passed, the aroma would remain and remind people of his glory.

That's what we are in this world! We are not only the defeated army brought under obedience to Christ, but we are the aroma of Christ in this world. Paul never minded mixing a metaphor, and here the defeated army becomes the fragrant incense.

Our job is to go out in this world and smell like Jesus. 

We are to bring the fragrance of Christ into this world, that sweet, pleasing aroma of his love, his mercy, his holiness, his righteousness, his faithfulness, his goodness - every aspect of his character. Having been brought to Christ, we are to spread his fragrance in this world.

Everywhere we go and in everything we do, we are to be the aroma of Christ in this sin-polluted world. We must yield completely to him and represent him well.

Father, I thank you for defeating me. My sinful will stood in rebellion against you, but Christ crushed my sin with his glory and now I belong to you. May I spread the fragrant aroma of Christ in this wicked world.