pleasing fragrance of Christ

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. (2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)

In describing the meaning of this Scripture passage, Wesleyan-Holiness Old Testament Scholar, Dennis F. Kinlaw wrote: “The fragrance of the knowledge of Christ is spread in the earth through us. To some it will be an aroma of salvation; to others it will be an aroma that leads to death because they will reject him. Who is equal to the task of spreading that knowledge? Paul tells us how to meet with such a task. ‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.’ Many scholars agree that Paul mixed his metaphors: the first half of the verse seems to deal with the Resurrection (the triumphal procession), and the second half seems to deal with the Cross (fragrance comes only through crushing).

“One day I found a paperback book on this passage of Scripture.  It was a doctoral dissertation, and the scholar had researched this verse and studied the Greek word thriambeuo, which is translated ‘to lead in triumphal procession.’ He found that it was an old Etruscan word, and the Etruscans had a very different triumphal procession from the Roman one that was led by the emperor. The king who led the Etruscan triumphal procession through the city was the captured, defeated king.  He was spit upon and beaten, and at the end he was sacrificed to the Etruscan gods who supposedly had given the victory.  The conquering king brought up the rear of the procession.  So Paul had not mixed his metaphors. He was picturing Christ not as the conquering King, but as the conquered King, the One who was to be the sacrifice.

“If Christ leads the procession, then he leads us to an altar of self-sacrifice, the Cross.  It is a triumphal procession because out of the sacrifice of self the fragrance of the gospel comes.”

Through having the mind of Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit, we will joyfully and selflessly serve others. Our daily behaviors will emulate the sweet fragrance that Jesus exuded during His ministry on earth. And we will humbly and gracefully share the Good News with the lost. The closer our faith walk is with Jesus, the stronger the fragrance of Him that others will breathe in from us.

Do you have a favorite scent?  A perfume?  A candle? A flower?  I like the smell of the air before it rains. I like the smell of cedar.  I like the scent of lavender. Are there scents that are distasteful to you? Cigarette or cigar smoke, musty mildew and sour milk are unpleasant scents for me.  What about you?  Are there scents that cause you to gasp, hold your nose, or feel nauseous? Have you ever thought about how something we cannot see can have such a profound effect on you?

When you smell an odor, you are actually breathing in tiny molecules. These molecules enter the nose through the nostrils and reach the nasal cavity. This part of the nose is lined with small hairs that clean and filter the incoming air. It is also lined with a mucus membrane that keeps the nose moist.

The filtered air reaches specialized nerve cells called olfactory sensory neurons, located high inside the nose. These sensory neurons  detect odor molecules of which are classified into ten key odor categories: fragrant, woody/resinous, minty/peppermint, sweet, chemical, popcorn, lemon, fruity (non-citrus), pungent and decayed. Each of the ten to twenty million olfactory neurons has one odor receptor. The olfactory neurons relay signals of captured odors through the olfactory tract to the olfactory bulb where initial odor processing occurs. The olfactory bulb is a paired structure found on the inferior (bottom) side of both cerebral hemispheres, near the frontal lobe. 

I will continue the explanation of what happens to the odor signal once it reaches the olfactory lobe in my next devotional.  This is the exciting part that relates odors to memories, so I hope I do not forget to write about this next month! In the meantime, think about what odors or scents connect you to your memories.

Illustration 142253814 | Anatomy © Medical Stocks | Dreamstime.com

Dennis F. Kinlaw, This Day with the Master. Copyright © 2002 by the Francis Asbury Society, 1580 Lexington Rd. PO Box 7, Wilmore, KY 40390. Publisher:  Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530.