More than fashion, people oftentimes identify and judge by the way the individual dresses. The kind of clothes we wear speaks a lot about our status in life. It may not be the whole truth but it is a natural human tendency. This reality happens regardless of time, culture, and tradition.
People in the royal family have distinct clothing. People who are in a high-ranking society have a line of clothing that ordinary people don’t usually wear for its high price. The same is true for the not-so-well-off people who are living in the slum area.
How about you?
Guilty
If we will be honest enough, we are all guilty. For sure we judged people according to the way they dress, may it was intentional or not.
How do you see people?
Appearance
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
When the Israelites were looking for their first king, again the human tendency was to look for stature. In short, making decisions out of appearance, but God said to Samuel, I look at the heart of the person.
Jesus Clothes
There are only a few times that the cloth of Jesus was mentioned in the Bible, and mostly during the latter part of his life here on earth. There is not much controversy or deep doctrine to be discovered about it, but there is something that it can trigger to us as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Though lots of thoughts and ideas are written about what kind of clothes Jesus wore while here on earth, or even the color that signifies his being, the Bible has only limited description of it.
Seamless
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things. John 19:23-24
One of the reasons why the Roman soldiers did not want to divide the cloth of Jesus was because it was not ordinary. It was seamless.
Seamless clothing has no stitches or seams, which is a new and innovative way of manufacturing clothing. The absence of stitches and seams brings a number of benefits, especially when it comes to fitness clothing.
The process of making seamless garments requires the use of cutting-edge circular knitting machines, mostly made in Italy, which complete whole garments based on pre-programmed computer commands that allow for different stitching patterns. The product is a finished or semi-finished garment with no side seams.
But modern technology was not yet available during the time of Jesus. We can only imagine that seamless clothes are meticulously and intricately done. It would require expertise on the part of the maker.
Tailor-made
Some believe that it was his mother Mary who made it and it was specially made for his burial.
Others said that the cloth of Jesus was only for the inner dress, it was like underwear. That is why it is always in white color.
Cloak
And wherever he went—into villages, towns, or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who felt it were healed. Mark 6:56.
In this passage, we notice that there were people who wanted to be healed and were hoping to touch even his cloak which is below the knees.
Jesus is King
The usual description was Jesus wore a tunic, which for men at this time, which is normally finished slightly below the knees, not up to the ankles. Only the rich people wore long tunics because of their price and rarity.
Jesus also had outer garments, which were believed to be purple. The color has something to do with his being as king.
How about his slippers?
Sandals
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matthew 3:11.
And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. Mark 1:7.
Even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. John 1:27
In these three gospel accounts, it was clear that he was wearing sandals, which are the usual slippers during this era. It was John The Baptist who made this statement. We can see here that Jesus basically lived a normal life like any other people in his time. Nothing special in the way he dressed.
What Jesus was wearing after his resurrection?
Resurrection
We can not read from any gospel accounts what Jesus was wearing after his resurrection. The clothes disciples saw and described were the angels they had seen from the tomb of Jesus were white as snow.
Glorified body
When the disciples saw Jesus, they did not mention what he was wearing. But we need to realize that by this time, Jesus was already in the glorified body. Others would say he was in the heavenly body form. That was what the disciples saw when Jesus was ascending into heaven.
I would like to emphasize that more than clothes, the real question is how to have that glorified or heavenly body.
You and Me
This is the best time that we should know more about the clothes Jesus wore on the cross, but what was he thinking knowing he was about to die? He thought of you and me. Because he loved us, he could not afford to see us dying of our sins and suffering the fire in hell eternally.
His death on the cross is the very reason why we can have a glorified body. Jesus wanted us to be him forever.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. In My Father’s house, there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4.
In Christ, we have life eternally in heaven.
Heaven
The body that will be covered by clothes is much more important. How much more the glorified body? This speaks about our form when we will be in heaven one day.
My prayer is that you will be more concerned about the life that is to come after our life here on earth.
Eternity
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
My admonition is that all of us will have that eternal perspective so that we will not only live for the now.
“Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” – Jonathan Edwards
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