The Clothes Don’t Make the Man

February 14, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 39-40 and Acts 4

Well, as you can see from the title, I’m going to be talking about clothing today. I probably shouldn’t be the one writing about this, as I am the most fashionably deficient persons that I know of.

Seriously, I have to ask my wife if my clothes match. At the end of the day, if she were to ask me what the clothes of anyone I had met that day looked like, I wouldn’t remember.

You got to hand it to God for instructing Moses to make a wardrobe that even I would not forget. I mean, look at all the gold and linen and yarn and jewels. Not only that, it comes with a matching crown that is pure gold.

I mean that is more bling that most rappers (of hip-hop artists) tend to wear. I think I recently saw a picture of rapper Common on a commercial, and he was wearing an Egyptian headdress as well as a number of other jewels and assorted stuff that must cost his career just to wear.

I suppose this is what we would think a truly godly man would wear. Something that just says to everyone: “Can’t Touch This”.

Compare the images of a priest in all of his valuable garb to Peter and John, who, as we know from yesterday’s reading, are quoted in saying “silver and gold have I none”. Chances are, their clothes must have looked pretty shabby, especially to the high priests.

There was one thing that they did notice. Peter and John had Courage. Yeah, baby, just like that medal that the Cowardly Lion wore at the end of the Wizard of Oz. Of course, the Lion was already brave, wasn’t he? All he needed was a reminder to himself and others.

Peter and John didn’t have the medals. No way, the go their courage The Wiz way. You may recall the ending of that 70’s version of the classic tale. Dorothy tells her friends that they “had it all along”, so Richard Pryor didn’t have to give them squat.

It is later on in Acts 4:13 where it is revealed that the priest could see that Peter and John had “been with Jesus”. I suppose this is the source of their courage. It certainly makes a lot of sense.

You know that line from a song in the musical Annie? “You’re never fully dressed without a smile”? Well, this is you’re never fully dressed with being with Jesus.

Man, that was cheesy. I mean, I had to take my material from musicals for crying out loud! I think it’s becoming harder for me to come up with fresher material lately.