Have you ever prepared for a big engagement, celebration, or a big meeting with important people by dressing up in your best clothes?  We are taught to put on our best to impress so that you “fit it” as being just as important or worthy in our thinking.  Men put on that “power suit” with a red tie.  Women wear clothes that accentuate their best features to appear up to date with current styles.  We dress for success.  Admit it.  We dress to impress.  We don’t want to stand out as one who isn’t “in the know” so we put on a show.  Okay, I rhyming way too much. 

What if the celebration or event was suddenly interrupted or cancelled at the last minute.  Here you are, all dressed up with no place to go!  What then?   

Matthew 23, The Message

Religious Fashion Shows

^1-3 Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.

^4-7 “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’

^8-10 “Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

^11-12 “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We who grew up in the church with parents who required us to put on our best “Sunday clothes” each week to worship with others, wonder if all that was necessary as we read this lesson from Jesus.  But we must go much deeper to what Jesus is really saying to those who dress only to impress and to gain a higher position in His Kingdom work. 

Wanting to take a shower, comb our hair, then putting on the best we have to meet God each day with a grateful heart of praise for the One who loves us most and saved us from our sins is a holy attitude to have and to hold in His Presence.  The greatest of these, however, is the love we have in our hearts for God and for people.  Jesus told us that clearly in yesterday’s passage. He now emphasizes the resulting behavior from a heart filled with love for Him and people.

Jesus is pointing out the difference between those who dress to impress for success in gaining positions of power versus those humbling ask God for a cleansing of hearts, transforming of minds, clothing our souls to be ready to serve—not to be served.  Jesus came to serve—not to be served.  Be like Jesus!  Jesus is our One and Only perfect Example and Life-Leader of service!

Later, Paul the Apostle explains what this desired behavior from a heart for Jesus looks like for us.  It’s not our physical attire but our spiritual attitude that matters to God.  Paul gets specific in the “clothing” we should wear. 

“… as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

^“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:12-17, NIV

Let’s get dressed, we got places to go and serve!

Lord,

Thank you for this lesson reminding us to dress our hearts, minds, and souls with all that pleases you and prepares us to serve in Your Name for your Glory.  There is power in your Name, our hope of glory!  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh and fill our souls, restoring the joy of your salvation at work within us. Grow your character traits in us.

In Jesus Name, Amen