Every time…
…I drive down a street canopied by interlaced trees, I think of the elms standing sentry over the town of my childhood.
Every time…
…I hear Trumpet Voluntary by Henry Purcell, I’m transported back to my wedding day.
Every time…
…I stroke soft velvet, I remember the turquoise velvet dress my mother wore—over fifty years ago.
Every time…
…I eat raspberries, my grandmother comes to mind. She made the best jam with fresh berries from her own bushes in the backyard.
Every time…
…I smell a wood fire, visions of family-reunion picnics float in my memory.
Our senses are powerful catalysts for memories and emotional response. But out of the five, researchers say the most powerful is the sense of smell.
So when the ancients read this scripture verse, what images came to their minds?
“All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad” (Psalm 45:8).
First, a bit of background might be helpful:
Psalm 45 was composed for a royal wedding. Verse eight, about the groom’s robes, might refer to a long-held custom in the Middle East of perfuming one’s clothing, especially for special occasions.
But the imagery of the psalm also speaks prophetically of another “wedding”–between Christ and his bride, the church.
Many of the descriptors for the Groom fit Jesus perfectly:
“You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever…In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds” (vs. 2-4).
But if the psalm is a word-picture for the relationship of Christ to his church, what is the significance of verse 8? Why the description of his robes, fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia?
Perhaps the pleasing, aromatic scents represent all the pleasing virtues Jesus embodied: his love, wisdom, and grace.
Perhaps they are also an allusion to his burial. In ancient times, spices were also used in the embalming process.
After the crucifixion, you’ll remember that Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, who brought seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes to wrap within the linen burial strips (John 19:38-40).
Why would the same spices be used at Jesus’ death and at the great Wedding Supper yet to come?
Bible teacher, Ray Stedman, explains: The resplendent wedding described in Psalm 45 is made possible by a death—the death of the Groom himself. Only out of his death could come this glorious celebration. And now, the fragrance of his beauty is everywhere!
Have you ever hugged someone and then carried away with you the scent of that person’s cologne?
The aroma of Christ should cling to us just like that.
“Everywhere we go people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, The Message).
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Oh, Lord Jesus, I delight in the sweet fragrance of all your glorious attributes. May my words and actions diffuse your exquisite fragrance of life, love and grace to everyone around me.
(Photo and art credits: http://www.saveourelms.com; http://www.footage.shuttershock.com; http://www.dwellingintheowrd.wordpress.com; http://www.divinerevelations.info.)
From the Inside Out 