Sermon Nuggets Wed Dec 24
Theme- Resurrection
Verses- John 20:3-10 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.
Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Clothing
Ever wonder why clothing is given so much attention in the Bible? Certainly with all the symbolism the clothing of the priests were important. Most clothing was practical for the area. We understand that clothing was a matter of modesty when in the garden the sins of Adam and Eve were exposed and they made clothing of fig leafs. God killed an animal and gave them skins to wear symbolizing the first sacrifice based on man’s disobedience. They were naked and felt ashamed.
We know about clothing for special occasions. If someone died the family and loved ones grieved wearing dark colored sackcloth of coarse goat’s hair. Sometimes people would wear these garment of lament when they were repenting of sin.
We know about Joseph’s robe of many colors that brought jealousy to the family. Special robes were worn by people of high political positions in the ancient world. Such a robe was given to Joseph by the Pharaoh of Egypt.
Just like today there are special garments worn by brides at their wedding. The wedding dress was usually white silk, perhaps embroidered. The bride also wore a veil and considerable jewelry. The bridegroom's attire resembled that of a king. He might also wear a garland. Festive robes were also given to the guests at a wedding, as in Jesus' parable where a man was turned away for wearing inappropriate clothes.
What captured my attention was the clothing of Jesus and why it was reported at the time of his birth. Luke 2:12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." I could definitely understand the sign of the uniqueness of this child who would be in a manger. Babies are not kept in mangers. But don’t most of them have cloths they are wrapped in?
In Jewish custom, swaddling clothes consisted of fabric cut into long thin bands (the term swaddling comes from swath – the width covered by the single cut of a scythe). The bands would be wrapped around a newborn in order to comfort them and give them proper posture. Sometimes the band would first be worn as a girdle around the belly of the pregnant woman, then used to swaddle the child, then saved for the eventual purpose of wrapping the body for burial.
Paintings of Christ as a swaddled infant tend to foreshadow his death by showing him sleeping in a kind of haunting stillness. We are meant to see the relationship between the child “wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger" with the body of Jesus "wrapped in linen, laid in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone."
It seems the reason the angel points out these cloths that are wrapped tightly around the baby have both a practical and prophetic implications. Naked one comes into the world. As a baby is wrapped tightly around clothing it sleeps better and is protected from cold and outside elements.
When a body is buried it would not need clothes. But as mentioned in the previous chapter Nicodemus brought about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes to spice Jesus body, and that He was bound in linen wrappings. We find out that His body and His head were wrapped separately.
Of course the mother wrapped the baby in secure, warm cloths, but why does the Holy Spirit call our attention to this? This event apparently points also to the passion of Christ, when there is no room for Jesus in the Temple and Synagogues. He is cast off and following his death he is wrapped in cloths and laid in a tomb.
When Jesus was raised from the dead, He apparently passed through these wrappings, leaving them behind as they were. Only John tells us of these things. Also, only John tells us that the soldiers divided Jesus’ garments into four parts, but did not divide His seamless tunic. All of this information is in keeping with Jesus as the Great High Priest. Aaron wore garments of glory and beauty when he carried out his work, and among these were a tunic of checkered work of fine linen. On the Day of Atonement, however, Aaron set aside these glorious garments and wore only "holy garments," consisting of linen tunics, undergarments, sash, and turban. When the work of atonement was concluded, Aaron put back on his garments of glory and beauty.
The linen garments in which Jesus was wrapped speak of His work as Great High Priest on the Great Day of Atonement. They were left behind "in a holy place" when His work was finished, and He assumed his glorified body.
Thus, the seamless tunic removed from Jesus at the crucifixion corresponds to Aaron’s garments of glory and beauty. The "tunic" of Aaron’s garments is the same word as the "garments" of skin God made for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. Jesus’ nakedness was exposed on the cross, signifying His humiliation and His taking the punishment for our sins.
Now there are new cloths for Jesus Matt 28:3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
His body in birth or death didn’t need these binding cloths anymore. He is free, glorious, prepared as we will be in the heavenly marriage.
Pastor Dale.
