If you’ve ever ridden Trimet, you know the difference between fragrance and odor. Some passengers give off a pleasant perfume or cologne, while others assault our nostrils as though they haven’t bathed for weeks. But this blog is not addressing the physical aromas or odors that follow a person. Instead, I’m looking at the character qualities that people give off to those around them.
I’ve attended or conducted enough funerals to know that people leave behind either a pleasant legacy or the odor of broken and hopeless lives in their wake.
Do people like to be around you or do they try to avoid you? Some of that depends on whether we are talking to those who despise Jesus or to those who love Him. “To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” (2 Corinthians 2:16) The message of Jesus grates on self-righteous people, but it is a healing salve to those who admit their sins to Him.
That’s why the self-righteous Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus, while the marginalized people enjoyed being in His company. To the Pharisees, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” (Matthew 21:31)
The Pharisees wondered why Jesus enjoyed spending time with “tax collectors and sinners.” These sinners, as the Pharisees referred to them as a derogatory group, knew that Jesus loved them and was not on some egotistical trip to brag that He was “better” than them. The Lord said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) Jesus wanted to improve their lives. The Pharisees were the ones who felt they were better.
Are you a fault-finder or a gracious and thankful person? Do some avoid you because, by your mere presence, you remind them that they are not right with God? Or do people avoid you because you are argumentative and short with them? Do you come off as defensive and always right? This may explain why some people at work like to be around you, while others keep their distance.
Let’s strive to be like Jesus. While never lowering His standards, His love and concern for the well-being of His listeners was apparent. To the Pharisees, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”” (Luke 5:31–32) What qualities of Jesus do you wish to emulate? Humility? Peaceable? Authentic? Encouraging? Uncomplaining? We deem those to be fragrant aromas!
As people made pilgrimages to Jerusalem, they walked through some arid places. One such place was known as the Valley of Baca. “As they pass through the Valley of Baca [weeping], they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.” (Psalm 84:6–7) One commentator said, “They transform tragedies into triumphs and use misfortunes as stepping stones to greater things.” The rain speaks of the refreshment of the Holy Spirit to others who follow them.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Galatians 5:22–26)
Whether it is a fragrance or an odor that follows you will depend on whom you follow. If Jesus is your everything, some will be attracted to you, but some will react as though you are a stench. Neither Jesus nor you will ever please everyone.
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