What To Wear
What to Wear
Read: Revelation 1:9-17
His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
Revelation 1:16
IN WORD John was in exile on a beautiful but isolated Greek island. On one spectacular Lord’s Day, he had a visitor. He was “in the Spirit,” and a voice like a trumpet spoke to him. When he turned to look, he saw a glorious vision of a “son of man”—the name Jesus used so often for Himself. Was it Jesus? Of course. Who else shines with such brilliance, speaks words as sharp as a sword, and identifies Himself as the First and the Last, the Living One who was dead and is now alive? Yes, it was Jesus. Radiant, spectacular, risen Jesus.
John fell at His feet (v. 17). Wouldn’t you? Even so, he remembered Jesus’ appearance: a long robe, a golden sash, white hair, blazing eyes, glowing feet, and a face as bright as the sun. In other words, He is purity, perfection, and power.
This radiant Bridegroom once told a story of a man who made it into a wedding banquet without the right clothes (Matthew 22:1-14). The intruder was thrown out. He didn’t belong because he wasn’t dressed for the occasion.
How do you dress for the kind of groom John describes in Revelation? It would be an act of supreme devotion to clothe yourself in similar apparel, wouldn’t it? You want to look like you belong.
IN DEED For fallen human beings with severely deficient wardrobes, that’s a problem. Besides, even if we had the cash, we wouldn’t know where to look for such radiant attire. But in ancient Middle Eastern weddings, wedding garments were often provided by the hosts. All that was required was to accept them.
This radiant Jesus spoke a few verses later of people from Sardis who would walk with Him dressed in white (Revelation 3:4). Those are the robes of righteousness that God, our Host at the wedding banquet, generously and mercifully provides for us. Why? Because our attire is important to Him. Wear His righteousness—His holiness, His radiant face. You’ll need it to look like you belong next to that Groom.
To love Jesus is to love holiness.
—DAVID SMITHERS
From the book
