New Clothes

The other day while running errands, I happened across a lovely scarf collection. Now, I’ve been admiring other women’s scarves as a fashion accessory for a long time but have never seriously shopped for one myself…until now. Purples, pinks, lime greens, iridescent stripes – what a feast for the eyes! And guess what? They were on sale! I eyed one after the other, trying to visualize what they’d look like with my wardrobe, and finally made my choice. How fun to have a new piece of clothing, especially one as versatile as a wear-with-almost-anything scarf.

Jeshua, an Old Testament high priest, received new clothes in his day, too, but he got an entire wardrobe! Here’s his story: “Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ And turning to Jeshua he said, ‘See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.’ Then I said, ‘Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?’ So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.”

What a glorious picture! In the physical realm, Jeshua’s clothes were dumpster fodder. There he stood, garbed in filthy rags and unable to do anything about it. But an angel stepped in, saw his plight, and supervised an extreme, complete makeover. Note that these were fine, new clothes – not reruns from the local thrift store. Wouldn’t ya love it if this happened to you?

The good news is – it can, in the spiritual realm. Scripture says we’re clothed in filthy rags, that is, our own attempts at being good enough for God. In His mercy toward us, God doesn’t berate us and say, “You look like a hobo. Stay away from me.” Instead, He says, “I have a new wardrobe for you, my friend. Would you like it?” If we choose to accept it, He clothes us in His righteousness. That is, He takes our filthy rags (our sins) and replaces them with His forgiveness and holiness. His gift is free to us but cost Him dearly – the life of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In the physical realm, wearing my new scarf for the first time brought me happiness. In the spiritual realm, wearing the fine clothing of God’s forgiveness and holiness brings me joy. Deep, indescribable joy. How about you? Do you know this joy, too?