“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV
Reflection: how can our words behave like a “fragrance”?
During my high school years, I was at Christian youth camp where one of the girls had an awful body odor. I mean, if you got within 10 feet, you started smelling it. So of course, in that age, instead of talking with her, we all were fighting to sit as far away from her as possible. Not very Christian like, I must admit. One of the other girls, out of the kindness of her heart, talked with her. Turns out she was loading up heavily on garlic supplements. She asked her to back off on the supplements while we were in such close quarters. I had never smelled anything like this before, and I do remember it was really bad. In fact, so bad that this is one of the strongest memories I have from all the youth camps I attended.
The reality is that no one likes being close to a person with a bad body odor. Or even come after them as such bad odor doesn’t just leave when they are gone. It lingers. But, in the same way, someone who smells really good can be exactly the opposite. It’s attractive, draws us to them. Even long after they are gone, their aroma lingers. You know they have been there. The fragrance industry knows this very well, which is why we see advertisements for fragrances everywhere. Just in the US alone, the fragrance market is almost $80 billion for 2025, and growing at about 8% per year. But have you ever thought about
your words also can act as a fragrance, being pleasant or awful to “smell”? Even after you are gone?
In our focus verse today, Paul is using this metaphor with the Corinthians. Of how he “spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere”; him, being Christ. That there is something, like an odor, a fragrance, lingering behind after Paul and his traveling companions have left. Did you notice what this fragrance consisted of? It is “the knowledge of Christ”. Now, what is unique about this fragrance, is that some like it; others hate it, even worse than the garlic supplements! Paul continues “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16a ESV.
What a wonderful image and metaphor! Just think, when we talk about Christ, share our knowledge of Christ to others, we also leave a fragrance – while there, and after we are gone. A fragrance of Jesus, which will either encourage people in their faith, or inform people that they are headed for eternal separation from God unless they receive Christ. Paul mentions that there are many who use this as an opportunity to promote themselves. To “peddle” the knowledge of Christ. But he says that those who are sincere, driven and commissioned by the Holy Spirit, will only point to Christ. “Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:16b-17 ESV
So, what about us, you and I? What are we talking about with those we meet? Are we talking about the news and the weather? Or are we sharing the knowledge of Christ, leaving behind a fragrance of “life to life” and “death to death”? If we don’t use the opportunity God is giving us today to say something about our savior, who will?
Let’s examine our words today, to make them obedient to Christ.