Years ago I walked through a packed area of Calcutta (which is easy to do, as millions of people fill the city). Homeless families cooked outside of businesses, men bathed in public fountains, and a stray dog watched us pass by. I immediately noticed the clashing smells. Every few steps brought a new aroma. Some foul, emanating from too many people, and other delightful, drifting from restaurants and bakeries. My nose rollercoastered across town.

The Apostle Paul wrote of his life as an aroma: But thanks be to God…who uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. 

Paul noticed a stark difference among the hearers of his message. Some breathed in the salvation in Christ, while others recoiled at the smell. Through it all Paul and his posse of missionaries spoke with sincerity, patiently explaining the God behind the aroma.

I notice similar responses when I’m bold enough to mention my faith. A whiff of Jesus either draws a smile, or elicits a cold turn. When it happens to you, don’t take it personally. The aroma of Christ is at work. Pray silently and speak sincerely, hoping that listeners might perceive the fragrance of life.

2 Corinthians 2 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Austin Curtis