He Laid Aside His Garments

alleged actual outer garment belonging to Jesus.. that was stripped from Him.  ( photo is an  U.S. Air Force photo taken by 2nd Lt. Stephani Schafer)

 

All of us are familiar with the account where Jesus washes His disciples feet., but let us look deeper into this account..  and take a closer look at Jesus.

John 13: 1-17 relays this entire event, but let us focus on John 13: 3-5, especially.   John relays to us how Jesus “laid aside His outer garments” before putting a towel around His waste, getting on His knees before the disciples and washing each of their dirty feet.   The very mentioning of Him laying aside His outer garments is very significant.. and as is always the case,  the Holy Spirit intended for that detail to be recorded in the Scriptures.

Jesus “Lay aside His Royal garments of Diety” from birth..  from the moment He was born on Earth .. in a stable, and laid in hay in an animal feeding trough.   Throughout His life and ministry, He laid aside His reputation,  living as a “nobody” amongst nobodies.    And upon His execution, He again “lay aside His garments” to fulfill His Father’s will with love as His Father’s “bondslave”, and die an unfair torturous criminals’ death, to pay the price for mankind’s fall.   He again laid aside not only His Royal garments,  but also any rights to Himself whatsoever.     Before He died, hanging there in great pain and blood, He watched the guards gamble for His clothing..  They were gambling for His garments as He hung there dying so that they could be clothed in HIS righteousness one day.

Stripped of everything on all levels,  He never protested, but willingly “laid aside” all, for the Father, Who clothed Him again with Heaven’s garment of perfect Righteousness as our King of Kings..destined to be our King on Earth for the Father as He is in Heaven.

ps..  I asked the Lord if He would give me something of His recorded words from “He and I” pertaining to this, and I blindly opened up to the following:  

“Havn’t I been your Brother?  Don’t I know human nature and the life of man on earth?  You are so used to picturing Me as the God in heaven that you forget how I toiled, suffered from cold, heat, hunger, just as you do.  But I was always more afflicted than you.  When the last day comes and you look for Him who on earth was the poorest and most tortured of men you will recognize the Son of Man and you will understand why He received the greatest weight of glory.”

Where Do You Dwell?

 

John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to his followers, “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the World” (John 1:29) after seeing Jesus walking towards them.   The following day, he saw Jesus again (walking further away from them) and to the two disciples that were with him, he exclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

These two disciples of John left John and went after Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them walking after Him, and He asked them, “what do you seek?” .   They replied, “Rabbi, where do you dwell?”,   and Jesus replied, “Come and see”.    So the disciples stayed with Jesus.   The scriptures state, “and it was the tenth hour”.      That is very significant , and definitely something the Holy Spirit made sure got into the translation.    The number #10 in scriptures represents “all that man can contain”.   An example of that is the fact that God created mankind with ten fingers ; we need ten to hold “all that we can contain” in our hands.    The disciples had reached all that they could contain in what they learned from John..,   but they were ready to “graduate” and move on spiritually with Jesus.     John’s other disciples were not ready and were comfortable remaining in the “status quo” with John’s teachings.

John the Baptist actually encouraged and wanted to see all of his disciples follow after Jesus, but it was up to each disciple to make that choice.. he wouldn’t push them.  Two of his disciples MADE that choice and moved on with Jesus.  They saw where He “dwelled”, and they wanted to dwell with Him also.

Later in Jesus’s ministry, after all 12 disciples were given to Him by the Father,  Jesus was teaching the multitudes who always gathered around Him to see Him perform miracles and healings.  Eventually,  the Lord finished His parables with the multitudes, and “calling it a day”,  excused Himself and walked with His disciples up a mountain or elevated area of the land to rest.    In those multitudes were certain ones who also wanted to see where “Jesus dwelt”.   They were also not content with seeing what Jesus could do or perform.  They wanted to learn more about HIM.  Their spirits were hungry for more than just the spectacular.

When Jesus reached the top of that mount, He turned around and saw many had continued to follow Him up to the top., whereas the majority left to go back to their homes.   He sat down and it was at this mount that He shared with these hungry souls deeper teachings of the Kingdom of God..  things that the multitudes were not ready to hear.  It was here that Jesus taught these souls the Beatitudes.. and the narrow path that leads directly to His Kingdom.

Jesus taught them what it means to be nothing in the eyes of man, but known only to God, the Father.  To serve instead of seeking to be served, and to be willing to stand “last in line” for His sake.  This is the way of the Kingdom and this is where Jesus “dwells”♥

Let us “come and see!”

ps.   After recording this meditation in my journal, I asked our Lord if He would permit me to open up to something pertaining to this from His recorded words in “He and I”.,   and this is what He gave me!:

“.. You have noticed how sometimes you get others to follow you without saying a word?  I wanted to leave all of you My example;  it said, “Follow Me.  This will be your response to Love.”  Do you think there were many who heard and followed?  My sweat of blood in Gethsemane was for that.  For that the tears that disfigured My face so much that Peter, James and John had difficulty recognizing Me.   Oh little flock of My most faithful friends, come to meet Me every day in a passage of the Gospels.  Look for My heart there, and give Me yours.”