THE FRAGRANCE YOU CARRY

(6-minute read)

Businesses today are strategic in the deployment of scents in offices, hotels, shops, restaurants and even in clinics to reduce patient anxiety. The use of fragrance is a powerful way to influence how people experience their time in different places.

There are even Bible stories that have strong olfactory themes that we have to imagine as we read them.  Mark 14:3-9 recounts a dinner in Bethany where Jesus was the guest of honour among friends. While dinner was still underway, a waft of perfume permeated the air and a sharp disagreement broke out between Judas and Jesus where Jesus defended Mary and exposed Judas’s hidden agenda. Since then, it has become a powerful teaching that examines our outward behaviour and underlying motives.

FRAGRANCE OF DEEP GRATITUDE

The account in Mark 14 mainly kept all the characters unnamed except for the host, Simon the leper and his guest of honour, Jesus. Another account in John 12:1-9, however, tells us that other guests included Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, Martha who was serving at the private dining event, Mary and Judas Iscariot (who would later betray him for 30 pieces of silver). 

If we can visualize it together, Jesus was relaxing in the company of at least a handful of familiar friends whose lives had been greatly transformed by Him. Grateful people are always visible in communities of faith and their lives are transparent to each other. Foremost, there was the host called ‘Simon, the leper’. Obviously, he was healed of leprosy or he would not be living in the community or inviting people into his home. Then, there was Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha whom Jesus had raised from the dead (John 11:38-44). In fact, when Jesus found Lazarus, he had been dead for four days and his body emanated such a strong smell of human decay that Martha warned Jesus not to approach. Next, there was Martha, herself known to be an inveterate host. Think of the aromatic dishes she whipped up to entertain the steady stream of guests in her home! Finally, there is Mary who clearly loved perfume - judging by the amount of fragrance she owned! 

Now, imagine being in their company! Grateful people give off different vibes because when gratitude is ingrained in their consciousness, they generally sound and behave different. Grateful people do not forget easily what God and other people have done for them, but neither do they put their past lives on display. Lazarus embraced living that exuded gratitude without having to bring up how dead he had been for four days before his life was restored. Simon’s hospitality contrasted with his earlier life living in seclusion as a leper. Indeed, if he had continued living like a hermit as he did in the past, it would seem incongruent with being thankful for his healing. We also preserve what we are grateful for. Tellingly, Mary enjoyed a closeness with the Lord that made her especially sensitive to His unspoken needs. Her generous anointing of perfume on Jesus was a symbolic foreshadowing of His death and burial that others tried to downplay.

Each of these people exuded a fragrance that permeated their interactions with people. 

FRAGRANCE OF LAVISH WORSHIP

Deep gratitude overflows into lavish worship. Lavish does not mean expensive but generous and visible. Matthew and Simon each pulled out all the stops to host dinner for Jesus in their homes (Matthew 9:10, Luke 21:1-4). A widow quietly deposited two small copper coins into the temple treasury that caught the Lord’s attention because He knew that was all she had (Luke 21:1-4). Mary “came to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He was reclining at the table.” (Matthew 26:7). Her gesture was an act of self-abandonment prompted by her gratitude for the goodness of Jesus she felt unworthy of. The moment the perfume jar was broken, its fragrance was released and became immediately discernible to everyone around.

Similarly, touched by the grace of God, the fragrance of unadulterated adoration and worship to God within us will spread beyond our brokenness. The world tells us that broken things are unusable – a chipped cup, a broken chair, a piano with broken keys. But God cares about our brokenness and He treasures worship that comes from a broken heart. In fact, the Bible has a special message for the broken-hearted.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (Psalm 34:18). My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart. You, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:17).

The apostle Paul also found God’s profound comfort in his brokenness, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Trying to hide our brokenness will hinder any relationship and it is the same for our relationship with God. We cannot worship God and still hide parts of ourselves from Him.

FRAGRANCE OF LASTING LEGACY

Legacy encompasses more than the material possessions that future generations inherit from us. It also includes non-material inheritance like the life story and the social capital that we leave behind.

Every believer has a spiritual legacy of values, beliefs and wisdom that shape our faith and character. Legacy is not like a ‘deepfake’ (AI generated fake image) or a public persona that we fabricate to impress people. God suffers no fools. We cannot leave any legacy that we do not consistently live out in authenticity.

The poor widow whom Jesus had observed was a woman with a quiet legacy. Jesus said of her, “All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:4). 

When Judas Iscariot led others to openly rebuke Mary for wasteful use of a commodity that could have been monetized to fund the needy, they clearly felt uncomfortable with the level of her devotion on display. Yet, no one who wanted to appear charitable would risk opposing their pretentious point of view. But Jesus, who suffered no fools, instantly rose to Mary’s defense and told them to ‘leave her alone’. He then held Mary up as a woman of legacy saying, “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.  Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:8-9). 

Legacy building always involves taking risks. The poor widow risked having nothing to live on after giving up her 2 small copper coins. Mary risked being seen as frivolous and excessively indulgent on Jesus. What risks are you taking in building your spiritual legacy? Here, we are not talking about country or political risks. Much more is at stake when we learn to let go of the lowest hanging fruits - typically any opportunities that are easy to access – and with humility, trust God to meet our needs. It is about facing hard realities and knowing that He is able to “level the mountains…break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron… so that we may know that He is the Lord, who summons us by name” (Isaiah 45:2-3).

What type of fragrance do you carry in your life daily? Is it the fragrance of deep gratitude, the scent of lavish worship or the aroma of a lasting legacy?

This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 14 June 2025.