White Clothes - Rumor notes 20

 

Revelation 3

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.

21 He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne.

22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies."

 

white garments, that you may clothe yourself

The definition of white garments can found later in this same book of Revelation.

" Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Revelation 19:7-8)

If gold purified by the fire of God's passionate love is the inner work of character transformation that we so desperately need to experience, then it is appropriate that the white garments are listed afterwards. This avoids the confusion we too often have about the cause/effect relation between heart work and the outside actions and words that are seen by others. We must have the root cause before being able to exhibit genuine results of the cause. Attempting to work from the outside in only produces frustration, hypocrisy and self-deception and discouragement. Heart work and transformation by receiving love needs to provide the true motivation that leads to righteous living that reflects the goodness of God in the way we relate to others.

I want to interject here, that it is no coincidence that Jesus is offering these things to the very last group of people right before Revelation launches us into the deep, unveiling what the war is all about. We will soon come upon a group of people that keep showing up throughout the rest of this book identified as 144,000 who so closely imitate their leader the Lamb, that even their clothing looks just like His. That is what worship is all about – identification with and imitation of a hero. My point here is this: Jesus is offering the very last group of professed followers in history, all who claim to be God's chosen people on earth, an opportunity to participate in being a part of His groupies who will come to so reflect His disposition and motives so thoroughly they cannot be missed.

I believe we are living in the time of this last message. This means we are being offered this exchange with Jesus that is almost beyond imagination. Yet if we are willing to relinquish to Him everything we depend on, everything we imagine that might bring us value, pleasure, purpose or identity in exchange for the three things Jesus offers us here, we may become so transformed in our thinking, perspective and character that we may be fitted to be a part of this amazing group who constitute the Bride of the Lamb. This can only happen if we have allow ourselves to be brought by His Spirit into full harmony and sympathy with how He thinks, perceives and relates to everyone.

This exchange actually relates to what fasting is supposed to be about. Fasting involves refraining from any indulgence or dependence that has become a priority in our lives that usurps the priority we are to give our Creator. The true purpose of fasting is to deliberately recalibrate our priorities as to how we relate to the many things we depend on for meeting our legitimate or imagined needs. Fasting is a way of strengthening our will so it can function as designed instead of being manipulated by lower passions and desires. This is how we may 'buy' what Jesus offers us, for it is in surrendering our priorities in exchange for His priorities for us that we allow His Spirit to work in us to correct and realign our brain wiring so as to be brought into alignment with His desires and likeness. This is the fast God has chosen as described in Isaiah 58. It is not a fast where we become rigid and stern and legalistic, but rather putting away all of that to restore our hearts to reflecting God's love to others.

The Cloak and the Dagger

Garments or clothing have typically been used throughout history as a means of identification. People dress like others that they admire, seeking to imitate them. Clothing involves costumes giving a pretension about who we would like to be or act like. There is often differences between clothing for women in contrast to men. Clothes are used to identify rank, position, class and status. Clothing is used to send messages to entice or to intimidate or deceive. The very first mention of clothing had to do with an attempt to hide, yet in that case it also may have inadvertently sent a message about who they were identifying with to define their view of reality.

I believe it is important to see that this clothing of ourselves is about something other than covering up to avoid shame. We will examine that next, but from Jesus' perspective, clothing is not something to hide behind but is rather an expression of our true condition and how it relates to our true identity given to us by Jesus. This issue of condition and identity was vital for me to come to understand before I could clear the confusion that blocked my understanding much of my life.

He said to them, "When I sent you out without purse, and wallet, and shoes, did you lack anything?" They said, "Nothing." Then he said to them, "But now, whoever has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet. Whoever has none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword." (Luke 22:35-36)

As an aside, it is helpful to realize that the word 'sword' here did not mean what we imagine a sword to be in our day. Sword was more of a generic term used to also describe tools used for cutting, such as a knife, a scalpel or a dagger.

They said, "Lord, behold, here are two swords." He said to them, "That is enough." (Luke 22:38)

Considering the extreme security situation enforced by Roman occupiers in Judea, it is highly unlikely that two disciples could have had swords on them. That would ensure immediate arrest and even execution. In another version of this story, Jesus says 'Simon, Simon' in connection with these 'swords.' We assume He was emphasizing His point to Simon Peter by saying his name twice. Yet more likely Jesus was addressing both Simon's in the room because they were the ones who likely carried a knife referred to as swords. Simon Peter was an ardent fisherman and likely carried a fisherman's knife with him all the time. Ironically the other Simon was called a Zealot, meaning he was part of an underground resistance movement whose goal was to assassinate hated Roman occupiers whenever they thought they could get away with it, along with any they considered traitors such as tax-collecting Jews who they viewed as turncoats and worthy of death. Given this perspective, I have long wondered how Matthew and Simon the Zealot related to each other while following Jesus.

I long puzzled over why Jesus told His disciples to get a sword at this time. Then some years ago I learned about the true meaning of sword as used in Scripture. Jesus at times preferred to use terms that meant something different to unseen listeners from how those in front of Him heard them. I believe there were many instances when Jesus spoke He was primarily speaking to supernatural beings and the onlooking universe who were keenly following every move in the life of Jesus. Viewing His words from this perspective allows us to discover fascinating insights relating to the larger picture that add to our understanding of what is really going on.

Many imagine that when Jesus told His disciples to buy a sword that He was backing away from His non-violent stance to send a message that there are times when it is right to take up weapons and resort to violence to defend ourselves or His cause. I don't believe that is what Jesus was saying at all. In fact, if we discern the true meaning of sword, we see that He was saying the very opposite.

When He told His disciples to sell their cloak to buy a sword, what was the real meaning? Was He referring to their physical clothing, or did His words have far broader implications?

Jesus ever wanted to transition the thinking of His followers from the physical to the spiritual realities, so He reminded them of previous experiences they had while following His instructions. When we try to insist the words of Jesus are always as literal as possible, we make the same mistake the disciples made repeatedly. Jesus was seeking to get them to reconsider the way they perceived reality, to understand the core issues in the war between lies and truth, righteousness and evil. We will benefit much more if we allow Scripture to define the true meaning of many words. By doing so we will better appreciate what it means to clothe ourselves in righteous acts as saints.

The very first clothing ever worn was that invented by our first parents in desperation to hide their feelings of shame behind fig leaves. Yet just before this we are told they were completely naked and completely free of shame. Yet by linking nakedness with shame, we find it impossible to separate the two, so we conclude that God wants us to continue hiding by covering up our nakedness in order to avoid shame. But is that really the solution? Did God make a mistake in not providing clothes for them in the first place, or were clothes not part of His original design? Has sin caused such permanent damage that it is impossible for God to fully restore us to our original design?

I don't buy into either of these options. I am convinced that God is restoring everyone who is willing back to His original design to live transparently, vulnerably, naked and yet free of all shame. Understanding this requires careful regulation of our gut reactions, for many get so upset at even the suggestion one could be naked without feeling shame they cannot even consider this issue. Yet I am convinced that God's original design was the right one, and all who are saved will be restored fully back to that condition and will do so willingly.

In light of this, what is the purpose of our current clothing, or what Jesus mentions here as a cloak? Let's consider more verses to better understand what clothing is all about.

If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. (Matthew 5:40)

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. Then they said to one another, "Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, "They parted my garments among them. For my cloak they cast lots." Therefore the soldiers did these things. (John 19:23-24)

Both of these passages involve making Jesus naked. Jesus had no clothes on whatsoever while hanging on the cross. And when He talked about giving someone your cloak after they have taken away your coat, what was implied was that you would be left naked. In those days most did not have we think of as underwear. Losing both your cloak and coat would create an awkward situation in which the person suing you would be publicly embarrassed by their actions, as everyone around would see the effects of what they had done to you. This in turn would give them reason to rethink what they were doing to you. But that is a topic for another time.

A certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth thrown around himself, over his naked body. The young men grabbed him, but he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. (Mark 14:51-52)

What I want to point out here is that the primary purpose of a cloak or of clothing in general is for covering up, hiding, preventing others from seeing us as we really are. If this is the case, then what might Jesus be saying when He instructs His disciples right before they move into the next events happening that night, that they needed to sell their cloak and buy a sword? That moves us to the next thing which is, what did He mean by a sword?

In Scripture symbolism, a sword represents exposing or judgment. The first reference we see in Scripture related to a sword is the report of light swords associated with angels around the Garden of Eden that kept anyone from reentering it after sin took over. We usually misinterpret what that really meant because we fail to follow through what a sword means in the rest of Scripture. Yet when we put all the clues together we discover that a sword represents the light of truth that exposes everything trying to hide in darkness of lies. Light is the greatest enemy of darkness just as truth is most feared by those with a vested interest in deception.

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. (John 3:19)

When we put these clues and symbols together, we can begin to appreciate better what Jesus was really trying to say to His disciples.

We are about to move into events which will expose the true characters of everyone involved. It is time to quite hiding behind the masks you have relied on for so long and get real about what is on the inside. Quit hiding behind your pretenses or imagined superiority and get the sword of truth so you won't be exposed as full of shame when the sword of Truth cuts away everyone's masks during this time of judgment.

Now let's move on to examine more closely this issue of shame and why Jesus couches it in the way He does in this message to Laodicea.

...that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed

What is specifically identified here as not being revealed? Notice it is not the nakedness but rather the shame that may not be revealed. This is the purpose of the garment from Jesus. This is extremely important to appreciate lest we miss the whole point of what He is telling us here.

We need to understand what shame is before we can deal with the problems it brings. We are conditioned to assume that the issue is being seen naked. While that can be problematic, nakedness is not actually the real issue. The Bible clearly states, and for good reason, that our first parents were both naked yet had no shame. Suddenly after they were out of harmony with God and each other, they were full of shame and grasping about for a quick fix cover-up. When we don't appreciate the real reason why this happened, we remain stuck attempting to solve the wrong problem.

Their fall into sin did not make them naked. Otherwise the Bible would not be so clear that they were already naked. Sin introduced a new sensation called shame, which is close to fear and a host of other negative feelings. The underlying cause of all negative feelings is rooted to a damaged relationship with the God we were designed to reflect. We will never get free of negative feelings until our perceptions of God are repaired and we see and reflect Him as He really is. Every other attempted fix only deepens the deception. When we try to use the wrong remedy a serious disease, we may or may not feel better temporarily, but the underlying condition can become far more dangerous because we are masking our true condition and our desperate need for healing. This is clearly the case with Laodicea which describes our situation today.

Keep in mind that everything we read in Revelation is to be primarily viewed first as symbolic and only secondarily potentially physical. We need to discern the meaning of these descriptions so as to be able to receive the remedy Jesus has for our terminal condition instead of simply having clothes to wear.

In Scripture, nakedness represents being vulnerable, which means having great potential for someone to exploit us. Immediately we assume the obvious answer is to stop being vulnerable and to do whatever it takes to hide our vulnerabilities to reduce our danger of being exploited. Yet that is the very trap Satan designed, for without living vulnerable it is impossible for us to live in love. By getting us to react in fear to being exploited and trying to avoid being vulnerable, we actually isolate ourselves from the very love that fuels all life in the universe and for which we are designed. That is the problem sin brings into our thinking, for it makes us afraid of the very One who alone can restore us to life and freedom from fear and shame.

Because of this, we need to face head-on this issue of shame, nakedness and exploitation in the light of heaven's perspective so we can learn how to cooperate with Jesus in restoring us to healthy, fear-free relationships of love and trust. I have come to see that vulnerability is the very atmosphere of heaven, otherwise love could not thrive. So if we want to participate in the kingdom of heaven we must become willing to live in vulnerability, trusting Jesus to show us how to do that so as to be reintegrated back into the family of heaven. Again, nakedness is not the real problem but rather shame is our problem that we must focus on and remedy. Otherwise we are fighting the wrong battle and remain trapped in the grip of the great exploiter.

If fear and shame are holding us hostage, what is shame anyway? This is where it is helpful to note the next thing Jesus says so we can perceive this properly lest we fail to understand our true condition that keeps us trapped in thinking we really don't have a problem.

Shame is a direct byproduct of living in Satan's invention of relative value. Lucifer designed this at the very outset of his fall in heaven and refined it into what I believe can be labeled as commerce. Commerce goes far beyond merely monetary issues because it is the notion that everything and everyone are to be viewed on a sliding scale of value rather than a solid, immovable worth based on their design by creation. All who remain infected with this way of thinking are blinded to the sinister dangers of these lies about how reality as God designed it operates.

Shame only has power so long as we continue to believe these lies that our value and worth can be diminished or increased. So long as we think this way we remain susceptible to shame, for when we imagine we are less valuable than how God created us – loved and cherished children of God – we remain open to being manipulated by anyone because the lies inside control us through fear or enticements. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represents this design of Satan and is permeated with his principles of commerce. Thus when one sees the history of how sin originated, it is easier to appreciate how God is working to reverse the curse from our believing all these lies.

Shame is what we feel when we believe our value is being stripped away. Shame amplifies our fears, for shame is so demeaning of our sense of worth that we live in increasing fear of experiencing even more shame. Both shame and pride are actually endpoints of an artificial spectrum of value that is false, yet feels very real so long as we live under Satan's standards of worth. Pride is an attempt to hide our feelings of shame by deceiving others about how valuable or important we think we are, but relying on false sources of value. Shame comes when we feel robbed of value because we imagine others can steal it from us. What is common to both is an unwillingness to rely on God alone to define our worth, identity and value.

What is the effective antidote to shame then? First, it is not in attempting to hide behind a cloak of false value on the pride spectrum. Feeling worthless or useless results when we believe we can't amount to anything or are not valued by anyone. The problem is that entire spectrum is faulty to its roots because we imagine that what gives us value and purpose for existence comes from anything other than Jesus. This is why religion cannot meet our deepest needs, for it focuses on externals to fix deeper internal fear and emptiness and it can never fully succeed.

The only effective antidote to shame and fear is the truth as it is in Jesus who came to show us our true worth and authoritatively give us our true identity that can never be taken from us by anyone. This is what it means to be 'in Christ.' And this is not reserved only for those who accept and believe in Him but is given without reservation to every human being. This means the only thing we have to do to defeat shame is to believe the truth from Jesus that has within it the saving power to set us free. Anything other than this sucks us back into the earning/deserving system that will sink us in fear and shame over and over again. This is why Jesus is the only effective answer to sin, for Jesus shows us the love of the Father which is the only basis of our identity and worth. Believing this and trusting His word about our true identity in place of our feelings or what anyone else says or thinks about us, is the door to liberty and the path to restoration to fullness of joy. This is why Jesus emphasized so much our need to believe, for the only thing standing between us and full salvation is our choice about what we will believe, about God and about our value to Him.