“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?”
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT
In the days of the Roman Empire, victory parades were commonplace. A Roman general and his soldiers would return to their base city, march through the streets, parade their captured enemies, and burn incense. So, the crowds lining the streets would see and smell the victory. Paul often used the analogies of his experiences of the Roman army and soldiers in his letters. In Ephesians 6, written while in prison awaiting trial, he used the analogy of the Roman soldiers guarding him, relating the separate pieces of their armour to the spiritual armour we have as believers. So we read about the belt of truth that secures the rest of the armour and protects against lies. The breastplate of righteousness protects the heart and soul through God’s righteousness. Then we have the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, which provide stability and readiness through the Good News about Jesus. There is a shield of faith, a large shield used to extinguish the “fiery darts” of the enemy, his lies and accusations. The helmet of salvation protects the mind and thoughts, and the only offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, represents the Word of God. Ever since, Paul’s helpful analogy has been a strength and support for believers everywhere and ever since.
So, we pilgrims are caught up in a victory parade, but not as the victorious soldiers but as captives of Christ. Surely that is what we are, because we have been “captured” from the enemy, and rescued from the domain of evil and sin. Imagine the scene in Heaven, where our souls will be paraded before angels, as the saved ones, those who have believed in Jesus here on earth, and have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, and brought into God’s Kingdom of Light.
The victorious procession was also marked by the burning of incense, producing a sweet smell as the captives marched past. As we pilgrims “march” around society, getting on with our lives, what sort of smell do we leave behind in people’s nostrils? The word ”smell” is an analogy for the impression we leave on others. This is where things can get challenging, because we’ve all experienced relief when an objectionable person leaves our company. That loud-mouthed bigot. That person who is intent on sharing their own particular Godless and warped ideology. That person in the office who is always sharing smutty stories or gossiping about their colleagues. They leave a bad smell in people’s intellectual nostrils when they leave.
I got into a lift the other day, and there was a strong residual smell of perfume lingering behind. The person who left it there was probably totally unaware of this, but it serves as a reminder that we, too, will leave a smell behind. Will it be a nasty odour that discredits Jesus, or will it be a “Christ-like fragrance rising up to God”? We Christians can turn out to be objectionable to unbelievers around because of the way we portray ourselves and the way we present what we believe. “Objectionable” Christians are generally defined by actions or beliefs that are perceived as hypocritical, harmful, intolerant, or unloving by critics, secular observers, and sometimes other Christians. These examples often centre on behaviour that violates the perceived core tenets of Christianity (such as love and compassion) or on extreme, dogmatic stances. Ouch!
Paul wrote that the fragrance we leave is the “dreadful smell of death and doom” to those who are heading for a lost eternity. But those people who are unbelievers, with their resistance to the Gospel and Jesus’ message of eternal life, will just bat away the thoughts of salvation, even if they are still lingering in their spiritual nostrils. Not for them the wonderful fragrance of Jesus. As we come into contact with those around us, do we leave a nice smell, a fragrance that lingers and brings a touch of Heaven into their lives? Or do we leave nothing worthy of note from the encounter, smell or otherwise? It is a challenge for all of us pilgrims, because one day we will be asked to account for the times when we used the wrong perfume.
Dear Heavenly Father. We want to leave the right impression on those around us, because when they see us, they must see Jesus. If we’re doing anything wrong, or nothing at all, to create a nice perfume, please point out to us the error of our ways. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 