At the beginning of the passage, Paul compares his victory in Christ with the triumphant procession of a conquering Roman army. As the Romans marched, enemy prisoners were forced to follow in the victory parade. Now Paul is Christ's captive and he is marching in His victory parade. This is the "triumph in defeat" paradox of the Gospel message. The Romans burned incense in their processions -- but Paul talks about the sweet fragrance being the "knowledge of Christ" that is to be spread throughout the world. This symbolism is used in Catholic mass, when the priest sways the burning incense in a procession down the aisle of the church.
In the book "How to Stay Christian in College," author J. Budziszewski says that verses 14-16 hold the key to strengthening the great Christian virtue of discernment. For instance, if a physics teacher says "the material universe is all there is" -- you might think, "that smells fishy since physicists say the world has a beginning, and didn't something have to make it begin?" Or, if a literature teacher says, "there are no absolutes" -- and you might think "that smells fishy because how can he be absolutely sure about that? In 2 Corinthians, Paul says that how things smell depends on whether you are "being saved" or "perishing" -- whether you are following Christ or turned the other way. As Christians, we need to work on developing our discernment by our obedience to Christ, by studying God's word, and by asking God for discernment in our lives. We need more of that "Sweet Perfume" in our lives -- more of that wisdom like Solomon.
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