Editor’s Note: The following content is adapted from the Lucado Encouraging Word Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2020), available to you immediately online when you join Bible Gateway Plus.
by Max Lucado
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Scripture says little about the clothes Jesus wore. We know what his cousin, John the Baptist, wore. We know what the religious leaders wore. But the clothing of Christ is nondescript: neither so humble as to touch hearts nor so glamorous as to turn heads.
One reference to Jesus’ garments is noteworthy. “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be’” (John 19:23–24).
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Jesus’ Finest Possession
It must have been Jesus’ finest possession. Jewish tradition called for a mother to make such a robe and present it to her son as a departure gift when he left home. Had Mary done this for Jesus? We don’t know. But we do know the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom. Why is this significant?
Scripture often describes our behavior as the clothes we wear. Garments can symbolize character. And like his garment, Jesus’ character was seamless. Coordinated. Unified. He was like his robe: uninterrupted perfection.
“Woven from the top.” Jesus wasn’t led by his own mind; he was led by the mind of his Father. Listen to his words: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner . . . I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge” (John 5:19, 30).
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The Clothing of Christ on the Cross
The character of Jesus was a seamless fabric woven from Heaven to Earth, from God’s thoughts to Jesus’ actions. From God’s tears to Jesus’ compassion. From God’s Word to Jesus’ response. All one piece. All a picture of the character of Jesus.
But when Christ was nailed to the cross, he took off his robe of seamless perfection and assumed a different wardrobe, the wardrobe of indignity.
The indignity of nakedness. Stripped before his own mother and loved ones. Shamed before his family. The indignity of failure. For a few pain-filled hours, the religious leaders were the victors, and Christ appeared the loser. Shamed before his accusers. Worst of all, he wore the indignity of sin. Christ “bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).
The clothing of Christ on the cross? Sin—yours and mine. The sins of all humanity.
More than 145 million readers have found inspiration and encouragement in the prolific writings of Max Lucado. Browse his books in the FaithGateway Store. Max lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy, in San Antonio, Texas, where he serves the people of Oak Hills Church.
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