It’s Friday evening a little after sundown when he walks through the front door after a long day at work and announces his arrival, “Hi honey, I’m home.”
“What took you so long? Supper’s been ready for an hour,” his wife says rather loudly from the kitchen.
He walks in the kitchen and explains, “Oh, things were pretty crazy downtown today. We just about had a riot. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard about it already.”
The subject quickly changes as she looks up and notices his clothing. “Where did you get that coat? It’s not the one you were wearing when you left home this morning. I know it’s not yours.”
“Well, it is now,” he said.
“What do you mean, ‘it is now’?”
“Oh, I won it today at work.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been gambling again.”
“It’s not what you think. We ended up having three executions instead of two. The third guy took the place of that robber fellow Barabbas. He only had one coat, and since we couldn’t tear it up, we had to cast lots for it. It just must have been my lucky day, I guess.”
Have you ever wondered about the Roman soldier who walked away from the cross that Friday night wearing Christ’s coat? if only he had realized whose coat he was wearing! Maybe then he’d have the mind to try to live up to his clothing. I wonder if he ever changed his lifestyle after he changed his coat.
When you really stop and think about it, you and I aren’t a lot different from this man. When we became Christians, we did more than simply witness the death of Christ like that Roman soldier did; we reenacted and united with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection when we were baptized (Rom. 6:3-4). On that day, we walked away from the foot of the cross not merely with Christ’s clothes like that Roman soldier did; we left the water clothed with Christ Himself. That’s exactly what Paul says in Galatians 3:27, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (NASB).
Being a Christian involves a lot more than blocking off a couple of hours a week, putting on a skirt or slacks, and coming to church. Being a disciple of Christ involves a total transformation that should gradually permeate every area of a person’s life (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 2:20; 4:19; Eph. 4:17-24; Col. 1:28-29; 3:1-17; 1 John 2:6). When we became Christians, we clothed ourselves with Christ, and we are called to live up to our clothing on a daily basis. Does your character and conduct match your clothing? Are you living up to your clothing?
Jacob Evans
Pulaski Street church of Christ
Lawrenceburg, TN