A Common Thread
The lesson this week is a collection of stories that seem not to be closely related, with the exception that they are about Jesus and they all have to deal with garment, most of them Jesus' garment. But, there is another common thread going through them. (Used as an idiom the expression "a common thread…" is figurative language for denoting a similar idea or pattern to a series of events.) The other common thread is that in all the stories there is a touching of clothes. This is significant. Because, how the touch is done reveals more about the character involved.
In the first story (Mark 5:24 – 34; Luke 43 – 48), the lady touches the hem of the Jesus garment. As we know from the story, she decided to do this as covertly as possible. According to Mosaic Law the fact that she had a hemorrhage made her ceremonially unclean. She could not be seen with anyone. She could not touch anyone and vice versa. She had to stay away from people. But, she knew Jesus was her only hope. It was a touch of faith.
In the next story Jesus touches His clothes in order to take them off to wash His disciples' feet. In doing this action several things happen. One, He teaches His disciples about humility. Slaves wore very little clothes; Christ looked like one without His garments. This act showed how low Christ went to save us. And, it is to be an example to us. Paul says in Philippians,
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Philippians 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Philippians 2:7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Two, in removing His clothes, Christ revealed to His disciples what covered His divinity: flesh as theirs. Flesh as Adam's after the fall with no light covering. Hebrews 1 portrays Jesus as the divine Son of God, one with His Father. Chapter 2 portrays Him as the Son of Man, with our fallen mortal nature. He accomplished our salvation through total dependence on His Father. He said, "I can of myself do nothing" (John 5:30). So it is with us. In laying His garments aside, He revealed the hiding of His power. He laid aside His divine prerogatives that He might experience what we experience. He lived with our temptations, trials, and rejection, that we might experience His victory and joy (Heb. 12:1, 2). The followers of Jesus will claim the Father's power as Christ did.
The third story is about the High priest touching his garment in order to tear them. This was against the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 10:6; 21:10), because his garments symbolized the perfection of God's character. The High Priest should have known this. To tear those robes would be to profane God's character, to mar its perfection. Thus, the irony was that Caiaphas was guilty of breaking the very law he professed to defend. Furthermore, it was done under false pretenses: in order to show off a false piety. There is more: the penalty for tearing his garments was death. The great irony in all this was that Jesus, who had done nothing wrong, was to be put to death at the instigation of the very priest who, through his actions, deserved death himself.
The fourth story is set when Jesus was taken to a common hall by the Roman soldiers to be punished (Matthew 27:27-29). Again, someone touches His clothes, but this time is to strip Jesus off His clothes to put on Him a scarlet robe so the soldiers could mock Him. With no spiritual discernment, the soldiers saw Jesus only as a deluded fanatic. How many under ignorance mistreat and insult God? Jesus does not react to their ill treatment. Jesus allowed the soldiers to mock and humiliate Him. He did not fight for His rights. Jesus did not defend Himself.
The last story in this lesson takes place after Jesus is crucified and the soldiers have stripped Jesus again but this time to crucify Him. They touched the robe to take His garments when they stripped Him naked. So, as he hung on the cross, His last earthly possessions -the clothes on His back - were stripped from Him and divided among the clueless soldiers. The seamless garment, symbol of His righteousness, became an object of gambling. Even so, it was evidence of His Lordship (Psalms 22:18). The garment was seamless representing the wholeness integrity) of God's character. God is good all the way through. The soldiers, albeit unknowingly, had more respect for that than the high priest.
Each respective touch reveals what the person touching had purposed in their heart and their character. Each touch reveals virtue or Sin. Each touch revealed either faith or unbelief. What would our touch reveal?
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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com
