WHAT’S THAT SMELL?

2 CORINTHIANS 2:12-17

NASB

12 Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like many, [a]peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.

2:17 [a]Or corrupting 

NLT

12 When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me. 13 But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him.

14 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. 15 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. 16 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?

17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters[*] who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

[2:17] Some manuscripts read the rest of the hucksters.  

Paul’s writings swell with profound and practical theology. Deep and rich, fascinating and transforming —the doctrinal length, breadth, height, and depth of his writings can capture and keep the attention of devoted Bible scholars for decades. When I read Paul’s writings, however, I see more than weighty theology. I see authentic humanity.

When I read Paul’s words, I see not only vehicles of divine revelation and epic truths, but I also see words wrought in conflict, hardship, and struggle. I see tear-stained pages, drops of blood, and beads of sweat. I guess that is why I am so deeply drawn into 2 Corinthians. This letter reveals Paul like an open book. Here, on page after page, Paul exudes authenticity. Built upon his steely frame, we see parts of him that are still papier-mâché. Among his rough edges and sharp points, we feel the soft terry cloth heart of a person whose compassion matches his exuberant passion.

In this spirit of vulnerability, Paul shared with the Corinthians a recent personal struggle, one he faced as he ministered at Troas. As he reflected on this, he took comfort in Christ’s eternal victory, envisioning the believers’ place in Christ’s victory procession, marked with the fragrance of victory for those who are in Christ.

— 2:12-13 —

Troas stood on the northwestern tip of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey; see map of Paul’s third missionary journey on page 278), far from Ephesus, where Paul had been ministering. It had been a long, difficult journey, but when he arrived, he found people eager to hear his message. The door had been opened wide for the gospel (2:12). Their spiritual hunger would have made any ambitious, numbers-driven preacher salivate with delight. Yet Paul found himself distracted, eaten away on the inside by emotional turmoil. He had “no rest” for his spirit (2:13).

The word translated “rest” (anesis [425]) can also be interpreted as “a loosening” or “a relaxing.” It is the same word used in Acts 24:23 for “freedom” and in 2 Corinthians 8:13 for “ease.” The idea seems to be that although Paul stood before an open gate leading to a garden of spiritual fruit almost falling from the trees, he felt distracted, disquieted, and dismayed. Some anxiety gripped his spirit and prevented him from focusing on his task of ministry. What should have been a relaxing ministry of ease became a trial and a chore.

It seems improbable that this could have happened to Paul, doesn’t it? What kind of dried-up preacher stands before a great crowd of spiritual sponges and walks away without even a light sprinkling? Yet the great apostle Paul himself, self-proclaimed “apostle to the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:8), took his leave from Troas and went on to Macedonia. What would drive a man of Paul’s endurance and determination to forgo this ministry opportunity?

He could not find Titus, his dear friend and brother in the Lord. Apparently, Titus was supposed to meet Paul in Troas to update him on the Corinthian situation and to help him in his ministry there. Yet when Paul arrived in Troas and failed to find Titus, his mind reeled, and his imagination fed him images of the worst kind. Had he been arrested? Betrayed by Jewish or Gentile opponents? Executed? Assassinated? Was he delayed by accident or illness? The possibilities were endless.

We all have been in situations like this, when our intense worry and fears of the unknown consume us, distracting us from tasks at hand. All of us who preach and teach the Word can relate to this. I have lost count of the times I found myself in the pulpit delivering a message with as much passion as I could muster, desperately desiring to be back home dealing with a marriage matter, or addressing a lingering breach in my relationship with my kids. Present in body, absent in mind —this all-too-common reality of public ministry hounds every minister of the gospel. And it pursued Paul during his brief stay at Troas like a rabid dog trying to nip at his heels.

David Lowery helps us understand Paul’s specific concern more deeply:

Despairing at his own inability to concentrate on the great potential for ministry in Troas (cf. 2 Cor. 7:5-6) Paul said good-by to the church there and pushed on to Macedonia. The door would remain open for him and on his return (cf. Acts 20:5-11) God used him mightily in their midst, but for the moment Paul departed, unable to rise to the occasion, no doubt feeling like a beaten man.[116]

— 2:14-17 —

Instead of lingering on his feelings of defeat, Paul pressed on. He moved from his own weaknesses in ministry to Christ, who triumphs over every circumstance. Beginning in 2 Corinthians 2:14 and continuing through 2 Corinthians 6:10, Paul discusses the earthy realities of authentic ministry in greater depth than he does anywhere else in the New Testament. He begins this aside (2:14-17) by peering through a microscope, zooming in on three essentials of effective, Christ-centered, gospel-empowered ministry:

On the heels of describing his early departure from Troas to go on to Macedonia, Paul wrote, “But thanks be to God” (2:14). What an attitude! From the pits of uncertainty, desperation, and despair, Paul was able to praise God for His glorious deliverance. After a long discussion of the ministry, Paul will later return to the question of what happened to Titus, letting his readers in on the reason behind his praise to God: “But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more” (7:6-7).

After Paul’s exuberant thanksgiving (2:14), however, he doesn’t immediately reveal the cause of his praise. It is as though Paul were trying to tell his readers that we ought to rejoice in the character of God as the powerful and trustworthy victor over all of our circumstances, even if we cannot see the triumph set immediately before our eyes. So, instead of sharing the news about Titus, he drew on a common image from their day that would communicate an important principle concerning the ministry.

William Barclay helps us see the picture in the mind of Paul and his readers when he used the word “triumph” for the kind of continual victory believers have in Jesus Christ (2:14):

In a Triumph, the procession of the victorious general marched through the streets of Rome to the Capitol in the following order. First came the state officials and the senate. Then came the trumpeters. Behind them came those carrying the spoils taken from the conquered land. . . . Walking behind all these were the captive princes, leaders and generals in chains. . . . Then came the officers who attended the magistrates, the lictors bearing their rods, followed by the musicians with their lyres; then the priests swinging their censers with the sweet-smelling incense burning in them. After that came the general himself. He stood in a chariot drawn by four horses. . . . After him rode his family, and finally came the army wearing all their decorations and shouting Io triumphe!, their cry of triumph.[117]

Without getting too bogged down in the details of a Roman parade of triumph, we should note the first essential for authentic ministry: authentic ministers follow the Leader rather than take the lead (2:14). Christ, our Conquering King, leads us into battle. Paul says, “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ” (2:14). Effective ministry occurs when we are in the train of Christ’s triumph, not pursuing our own triumph. Christ chooses the battles. He claims the victory. Remember that at the cross Christ undertook a battle not rightly His in order that we might share in a triumph not rightly ours.

If we were to keep this principle in the center of our focus, we would see fewer names on ministries, projects, buildings, and churches. People would give anonymously, lead from among the ranks, and seek their reward from Christ in the future rather than recognition from Christians in the present. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with showing people appreciation when it is due. Sometimes, however, we adopt the world’s ways and our culture’s conditioning, seeking praise, glory, and laud for “our” victories rather than following Christ in His victory.

Relief of a Roman triumphal procession

Jebulon/WikiMediaCommons

Relief of Roman triumphal procession on the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy, depicting Titus’s siege of Jerusalem in AD 70

Paul’s image of the Roman processional points to a second essential of effective Christ-centered ministry: authentic ministers display God’s grace regardless of human response (2:14-16). These ancient processionals were marked by an aroma, as giant censers of smoking incense were carried by the priests. The smell would flow equally over those exulting in triumph and those hanging their heads in defeat. To the former, the incense reinforced their victory over the enemy. To the latter, the smoke stung their nostrils with the incessant reminder of military defeat and imminent death.

Did you know that as Christians we give off an aroma? I’m not saying we emit a foul odor. I’m saying that our message, our morals, and our lifestyle either encourage people to believe and live like us, or they anger people who reject our beliefs and despise our lifestyles. I see this different response to the message most distinctly at funerals. When I speak of the resurrection before the casket of a loved one, I always get two very different responses from people in the gathering. Though all of them grieve the loss of their friend, loved one, or family member, only some rejoice in the hope of eternal life and reunion at the resurrection (1 Thes. 4:13-18). Those who have eternal life in Christ receive the message of resurrection as a sweet-smelling aroma of life. Others in the crowd, however, reject the message of the resurrection, regarding it as superstitious soothsaying —a useless crutch to get us through the unpleasant, hard realities of life. To them, the message of salvation in Christ is a dead message —not of hope, but of death. The very same message of salvation in Jesus Christ can be received as the smell of life or of death, depending on whether people approach it in faith or unbelief.

Finally, Paul points out that authentic ministers preach the Word despite their inadequacies (2 Cor. 2:16-17). He refers to those who were “peddling the word of God” as ministers of insincerity, self-sufficiency, and personal promotion. They were in it for the fame, honor, and financial benefits. The image is one of street salesmen hawking their wares, interested only in making the sale and increasing their numbers. Just as there were money changers in the temple courtyard trying to make a killing on the religious devotion of others, there will always be street salesmen in the church peddling prophetic pills, cure-all tonics, positive thinking, health and wealth, legalism, and cynicism. In short, they will peddle whatever sells, whatever the public is gullible enough to purchase.

The truth is, however, that nobody is qualified for the job Paul and his fellow apostles and ministers were doing. His question, “Who is adequate for these things?” (2:16), implies a negative response: nobody! Nobody is self-sufficient; nobody can do it on their own. Paul himself was quite transparent and sincere about his weaknesses in ministering in Troas, desperate as he was to meet with and hear from Titus. Charlatans don’t take off their masks and let people see the real, flawed individuals behind them.

Paul assured the Corinthians that he was no salesman. He represented the Lord, not himself. His adequacy was not in his persuasive words but in the authority of the One who sent him and the content of his message —Jesus Christ. Only when serving authentically, selflessly, and sacrificially can one be sure that one’s ministry is being performed “in the sight of God” (2:17).

APPLICATION: 2 CORINTHIANS 2:12-17

An Honest Evaluation of Our Own Ministries

Now that we have looked into the open book of Paul’s life —including some of his ministry struggles, fears, worries, concerns, and failings —it’s time to read a page or two from our own lives. We will do this self-exam by focusing on four crucial categories and questions. This is an open-book exam; you can dig as deeply into the chapters and pages of your own heart as you are willing to go. Ask the Spirit to guide you in the process.

Our dependence on God. Are you really depending on God? Are you waiting on Him or rushing Him? When He doesn’t seem to come through, do you take matters into your own hands and run ahead of Him? Sometimes God tests our dependence on Him in order to strengthen and deepen that virtue in our lives. This might mean impressing His will upon your heart to test your go-for-broke obedience. Or it may mean letting you wait for His guidance for what may seem like a long time. Both the voice of God and the silence of God can teach us to depend on Him.

Our victory in Christ. If you were to watch an exposé of your life, would it describe somebody victorious over doubt, fear, hypocrisy, pride, and sin? Or would it portray a despondent, defeated, less-than-effective Christian who wavers between activity and passivity? If Christ’s power “always leads us in triumph” (2:14), could it be that you’ve been either following somebody else’s parade or trying to lead your own? Have you ever committed yourself to God as a living sacrifice, voluntarily surrendering your body, your mind, your heart, and your will to Him (Rom. 12:1-2)? If not, what is keeping you from doing that right now?

Our witness to the world. How do you smell to those around you? I’m not talking about your cologne or perfume. I mean, are you exuding the scent of sin or the aroma of the Savior? Christlike character has an unmistakable fragrance. It will attract those God has prepared to hear and receive His good news, but it will drive away those whose hearts have been hardened. Their response is not your concern; that is up to the Lord. No believer, however, wants to be responsible for driving unbelievers away from Christ because of a hypocritical testimony in which we say or believe one thing and put off a putrid odor that points to something else. Richard Baxter once said, “Take heed to yourselves . . . lest you may unsay that with your lives which you say with your tongues.”[118]

Our authentic ministry. People can spot charlatans and fakes pretty well. They are used to politicians grinning while lying through their teeth. They have seen TV preachers rail against immorality, right up until they got busted for engaging prostitutes. They have learned how to resist the barrage of high-pressure pitches from salesmen bent on taking their money. Only by modeling sincere authenticity can Christians counter this culture of posers and wannabes. Is being real one of your priorities? Do you let people in on your weaknesses as well as your strengths? Do you exhibit your vulnerabilities or do you conceal them with showmanship? Authenticity means coming to grips with who you are and being transparent about what your life is like beneath its polished exterior. It is painful to be real, but that’s the way we impact others most deeply (1 Thes. 2:8).

As you reflect on and answer the questions above, ask yourself if your relationship with the Lord might have bottomed out at a superficial level. Thankfully, God always leads in triumph, so he always leads His children into a deeper relationship with him. If you want to have a deeper, more meaningful spiritual life, take some time to pray about that. The Lord is seeking humble, sincere, and authentic servants to advance His kingdom into the future. Will you answer the call?