Nobody Comes to Jesus Dressed in Their Sunday Best
- Bible
- Calvary
- Church
- Cross
- Death
- Dr Eliezer Gonzalez
- Faith
- Gospel
- Grace
- Jesus
- New Testament
- Old Testament
- Salvation
Aug 27, 2013 2721
Matt. 27:35 – After they crucified him, they divided up his clothes among them by drawing lots.
The idea that Jesus at the cross wore a modesty cloth to cover his loins is a medieval invention to avoid the fact that at the cross, Jesus was naked. The whole point of crucifixion was to so humiliate and dishonour a man so that no one would ever follow his example again. The Romans crucified people high and naked so they could be exposed to as much abuse and lewdness as possible.
Paul tells us that Jesus is the Second Adam. The Second Adam, like the first, is the representative of the human race. The First Adam was naked when he brought sin into the world, and the Second Adam was also naked when he brought righteousness into the world. The Second Adam redeems the fall of the First and provides salvation for each one of us.
It is interesting how often the Bible mentions that you need to change clothes when you come to God. From Adam and Eve, Moses, Aaron, Joshua the High Priest, the demoniac by the lake, and others – all of these stories talk about changing clothes when you come before God. At some stage you have to get naked before Him.
Clothes symbolise how each one of us choose to demonstrate our identity to other people. They show things like how much money we have, something our personality, the work that we do, and so on. In the same way, they also symbolise how we choose to present ourselves before God.
But here is the reality. At the cross, Jesus was not impressed by the striking uniforms of the Roman guards. Jesus was not impressed by the proud outfits of the religious leaders of the Jews; nor was Jesus impressed with the designer fashion of the wealthy or the rags of the poor who came to mock him. Jesus, the naked One, was impressed by the nakedness of a terrorist who was hanging naked beside him. It was to him that Jesus promised paradise.
Everyone who comes to God in faith must leave his or her clothes at the foot of the cross. That’s what the terrorist did. That’s even what Jesus did. Jesus sacrificed himself, without a stitch of worldly pride, worldly ambition, or selfishness –the spotless Lamb of God. God doesn’t value what we value. The Roman soldiers thought that the clothes were value at Calvary. They gambled for them at the foot of the cross. But Jesus didn’t need them to be the Saviour of the World, and neither did the terrorist beside him need them to enter into salvation.
Many people don’t come to Jesus today, because they are waiting to feel that they are properly dressed. They think that they need to feel better about their past. They think that they are not good enough today. They hope that they will be good enough tomorrow. But Jesus was naked at the cross. And he did it so that no one could ever possibly have any excuse for coming to him.
And when you have come to Jesus at Calvary, you will also find out the good news that no one who comes by faith to Jesus ever leaves naked. Jesus died naked so that you will never be naked. You will be dressed by God exactly as Jesus was dressed by the Father after his resurrection. They will be dressed with a beautiful robe of righteousness. This is the clothing that we all really want: a robe that says, “I belong to God, my sins have been forgiven and the righteousness of God is credited to my name; this is my identity, I am untouchable in Jesus Christ.”
So come to Jesus now. Come to Jesus today. Because nobody ever comes to Jesus wearing their Sunday best.
Eliezer Gonzalez
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Girma damte
Sep 16, 2013
Another great gospel message. I'm blessed, extremely blessed by it.
Eliezer Gonzalez
Sep 16, 2013
I'm so glad you're blessed by it. The message hasn't changed from the beginning, and it will not change in eternity. We are only saved through Calvary, through the mercy of Jesus, and it is a salvation to which our works can contribute nothing.