And the house was filled
with the fragrance of the perfume . . .
John 12:3
I brought something back from Ethiopia a few years ago that has a distinct odor. It's a leather headrest that was given to me as a gift. I was told that this kind of thing would be used by nomads as they travel through the desert. At night, they would literally lay down in the sand and use this kind of headrest for sleeping.
When I arrived home, all of my belongings in the suitcase had taken on the same smell. Washing my clothes a few times took care of that. But the leather headrest still has a strong, piquant aroma.
It's a smell I like - but not so much because it's a good smell. I like the smell because of the memories it evokes.
When I arrived home, all of my belongings in the suitcase had taken on the same smell. Washing my clothes a few times took care of that. But the leather headrest still has a strong, piquant aroma.
It's a smell I like - but not so much because it's a good smell. I like the smell because of the memories it evokes.
Sometimes, especially on warm days, the aroma of Ethiopia catches my attention - and good memories come flooding back. Memories of God's closeness, memories of watching him work in new ways (at least new to me!), memories of days when things seemed so clear and the next steps seemed so obvious.
Most days, things don't seem quite so clear - and the next steps don't seem terribly obvious - which is why I enjoy the smell of that headrest. It reminds me of another day. The aroma itself is suggestive of a marvelous intimacy with God.
I'm intrigued by the many aromas that show up in the story of Jesus.
When Jesus was born, wise men brought him gifts. The gold would not have had much of an odor. But the frankincense and myrrh would have been pungent. I imagine those new odors mingling with the odors that were already present in the stable. As years went by, I suspect that even a whiff of frankincense or myrrh would have flooded the minds of Mary and Joseph with memories of those holy days in Bethlehem.
About thirty years later, a woman poured perfume on Jesus' feet. The Bible says that the fragrance of that perfume filled the house. More than anything else, it was the sweet aroma of the perfume (not the food they ate, not the topics they discussed) that was forever linked to what happened there that day. Just a whiff of that perfume would have sent minds back to that act of anointing that took place not long before Jesus went to the cross.
Some time later, after Jesus died, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalene (and others) brought spices to prepare Jesus' body for burial. Again, these spices would have been pungent. And once again, the smell of myrrh would have been in the air. That smell, I suspect, was forever linked with the memory of that burial preparation that was never quite completed.
A leather headrest redolent of Ethiopia, pungent gifts of myrrh and frankincense, aromatic perfume, the arresting smell of burial spices - all of them invitations to remember. The lingering fragrance calls to mind something holy, something of God.
When the Apostle Paul described the gifts that he had received from the church at Philippi, he called them "a fragrant offering . . . pleasing to God." That image suggests to me that God himself is careful to notice certain fragrances as well - the fragrance of sacrifice, the fragrance of a godly life, the fragrance of gentleness, the fragrance of devotion. Pleasing aromas that fill God's world and linger in the air. Pleasing aromas that bring joy to the heart of God himself.
I'm guessing that my leather headrest will lose its aroma over time. But I hope it doesn't.
In the same way, I'm hoping that my life will retain a fragrance that brings joy to the heart of God.
Most days, things don't seem quite so clear - and the next steps don't seem terribly obvious - which is why I enjoy the smell of that headrest. It reminds me of another day. The aroma itself is suggestive of a marvelous intimacy with God.
I'm intrigued by the many aromas that show up in the story of Jesus.
When Jesus was born, wise men brought him gifts. The gold would not have had much of an odor. But the frankincense and myrrh would have been pungent. I imagine those new odors mingling with the odors that were already present in the stable. As years went by, I suspect that even a whiff of frankincense or myrrh would have flooded the minds of Mary and Joseph with memories of those holy days in Bethlehem.
About thirty years later, a woman poured perfume on Jesus' feet. The Bible says that the fragrance of that perfume filled the house. More than anything else, it was the sweet aroma of the perfume (not the food they ate, not the topics they discussed) that was forever linked to what happened there that day. Just a whiff of that perfume would have sent minds back to that act of anointing that took place not long before Jesus went to the cross.
Some time later, after Jesus died, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalene (and others) brought spices to prepare Jesus' body for burial. Again, these spices would have been pungent. And once again, the smell of myrrh would have been in the air. That smell, I suspect, was forever linked with the memory of that burial preparation that was never quite completed.
A leather headrest redolent of Ethiopia, pungent gifts of myrrh and frankincense, aromatic perfume, the arresting smell of burial spices - all of them invitations to remember. The lingering fragrance calls to mind something holy, something of God.
When the Apostle Paul described the gifts that he had received from the church at Philippi, he called them "a fragrant offering . . . pleasing to God." That image suggests to me that God himself is careful to notice certain fragrances as well - the fragrance of sacrifice, the fragrance of a godly life, the fragrance of gentleness, the fragrance of devotion. Pleasing aromas that fill God's world and linger in the air. Pleasing aromas that bring joy to the heart of God himself.
I'm guessing that my leather headrest will lose its aroma over time. But I hope it doesn't.
In the same way, I'm hoping that my life will retain a fragrance that brings joy to the heart of God.