FRAGRANCE!
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. —Isaiah 53:4-6
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; Out of the anguish of his soul he shall seei and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. —Isaiah 53:10-11
We have mint growing in our flower garden. I love to pick it and roll it in my hand, crushing it so the fragrance is released. Just standing there in the garden it does not give off much scent, but once it is crushed the odor is very obvious.
Jesus was crushed for our sin and this was the Divine plan. We are told in Ephesians 5:2 to “walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” The fragrance of His sacrifice for us permeated heaven and has engulfed us. Oh, what joy fills our heart at the beautiful scent the Lord has released on our behalf!
Not only has He borne our sin, but he has also “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” He is intimately aware of every detail of our life. His fragrance was release for them as well as for our sin. Allow His fragrance to encompass our sorrow and grief as we rejoice in His sacrifice being a sweet smelling aroma to God on our behalf.
Think of it— our filthy rotten and repugnant sinful lives were a stench in the Lord God Almighty’s nostrils and through accepting the finished work of Jesus on the cross our lives can now be sweet smelling through Him. No longer are we a stench in God’s nostrils by what Jesus has done for us. All glory and honor is due Him!
We, who were unrighteous without a chance to know God or go to heaven to be with Him, were on our way to eternal judgment. Yet, justice was served on our behalf and for the person who trusts that fragrant offering to God that took place on the cross, that person is acquitted— the sin debt has been satisfied. On the cross Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He completed the payment for our sin-debt and satisfied the requirement by God— “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:1-2). “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). We are accounted righteous in Jesus (Romans 4:5, 11, 24) — REJOICE!
Dear Father, thank You for the wonderful work Jesus has done on my behalf. Oh, that I would live in such a way that His fragrance would waft through me and impact others in a positive manner. Yes, may this be so in Jesus’ authority and by the Holy Spirit’s movement.