Jesus: Troubling Man or Blessed Savior?

I am blessed to be a part of a wonderful Passion Play this week. Our choir at church has been presenting a musical drama, "Set Free," for the past two nights. We've got one more night to go, and I am not tired of it yet! I usually am tired of it. A full week of rehearsals and performances is tiresome, but its not so tiring when you have the opportunity to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit each night.

This year the Passion Play means so much more to me because it seems to mirror a situation in my real life. There is a line that sticks out to me every time I hear it. The main character, a Roman soldier named Marcus, asks his second in command, "Why is it that everytime I'm around this Jesus He's so troubling to me?"

This reminds me of the verse in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16. "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life." In the beginning of the story, the character of Marcus sees Jesus as a stench, a smell, trouble. But as the story progresses, he begins to see Jesus for who He really is, the Son of God, and experiences the sweet fragrance of God's love, grace, and forgiveness.

For those who follow Christ, we must always remember that we are the aroma of Christ among those around us. People in this world look at Jesus and see him as troubling. They experience conviction and don't want to be bothered. They want heaven but they don't want to give their lives over to the lordship of Christ. In their eyes, Christ followers are either a smell or a fragrance, but to God we are always an aroma! That passage of scripture goes on to say, "And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." How true! This is a tall order, but an order that can be filled if we live, speak, and love with sincerity. When people see this real and sincere love, then we can help them move from seeing a troubling man to seeing a blessed Savior.

On this Good Friday, I am overwhelmed that my Jesus chose me! He chose me, and I wholeheartedly choose Him! May I live my life in such a way that I am an aroma to God and a sweet fragrance of life to those around me.