The Naked Man
I know, I know. You're all thinking, "Where on earth did you get that title?!" Well, I'm not telling which TV show got it stuck in my head, but you'll understand why I used it when I'm finished.
We have a saying around my part of the country (maybe yours, too) that goes, "I'd give him (or her) the shirt off my back." For some reason or another, this phrase got stuck in my head a few months ago. Since the phrase isn't often used anymore, I am going to say that it was the Lord that put it there (I really can't think of any other viable explanation). As I began to mull this phrase over, the Lord began to show me something interestingly wonderful (or wonderfully interesting whichever way you wish to look at it).
Of all the people who ever said this phrase, who ever really HAD to give the shirt off of their back? To give the shirt off of your back would be to give what you are currently wearing to another person. That would leave you naked (or scantily clothed anyway). As the thought process moved on in my brain, I decided that I had never heard of anyone that had literally given the shirt off of their back to anyone! I have, however, seen many people go home, get in their closet and dig for all of their old clothing and give that away. I have seen a few people go to a store and buy something for someone to wear. But I have never seen anyone actually give the shirt off of their back. And I am sure if you think very hard, you won't remember anyone doing it either.
But my thought process (okay, it was the Holy Spirit. I must give credit where it is due.), brought me to another thought. To give someone the shirt off of your back would only happen IF the other person was naked. Otherwise, why would you give the shirt off of your back (you'd just be swapping clothes)? That is the thought with which the Holy Spirit really got my attention: WHY WOULD SOMEONE GIVE THE SHIRT OFF OF THEIR BACK?
The answer is to cover someone's nakedness (Hold on tight because the Holy Spirit completely takes off on this answer)! Granted, in today's society we see a lot more nakedness than in previous generations - let's just get that out of the way right now. However, throughout the Bible, nakedness is often referred to as shame. Just a few examples - I Samuel 20:30, Isaiah 47:3, and Ezekiel 16:8 (there are many, many, many more - go look them up). To find out WHY the Lord considers nakedness as another word for SHAME, we have to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3 - When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (of which God told them not to eat), they made clothing of fig leaves and hid themselves. Then God came down to talk with them, and when they did not immediately come, God asked, "Where are you?" Then Adam answered saying, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked..." God answered, "WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE NAKED? Did you eat of the tree which I commanded you not to eat?"
Now, I have always heard that Adam and Eve were "clothed with the glory of God". That is how I choose to think of them in the garden. If you agree or disagree doesn't really matter because either they lost their glory or they lost their innocence and brought shame (condemnation, sin, death, etc.) into the world. The first consequence of their disobedience was nakedness. Imagine, though, how awful it would be to lose the glory of God as your clothing. This is why nakedness has been considered shameful from generation to generation (until now, but THAT is another blog for another day).
It was at this point that I realized that "the eyes of my understanding were being enlightened" (that's Ephesians 1:18 by the way). Because WHO would cover the shame of the fall of man? WHO WOULD DO THAT?
There's only one person in the world who has literally become naked so that we would not be: Jesus. Here is a thought. I've seen many movies and paintings that depict Jesus hanging on the cross in some form of underwear, and I don't really think that is correct. If it is, then the Romans were not as cruel in crucifixion as history says. Why would they scourge someone and then nail them to a cross in their underwear? Crucifixion was a shameful way to die. It was a criminal's death, so why would you care if they were clothed or not? Again, this is something that I was told a while ago (and yes, I could be wrong. I just don't think that I am...), but Jesus was naked on the cross just like every other criminal that Rome crucified. Hence, he went to the cross to cover our shame of disobedience (our sin). THE ONLY PERSON IN HISTORY THAT I KNOW THAT EVER LITERALLY GAVE SOMEONE THE SHIRT OFF OF HIS BACK!
Take a deep breath. The Holy Spirit didn't stop there (I know. What more could you say, right? Wait for it. It's great. I promise.). Go to Matthew 25:34.
"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I WAS NAKED AND YOU CLOTHED ME; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me." And you know the rest - "Lord, when did we ever...." And He answered in verse 40. "Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My bretheren, you did it to Me."
I find it interestingly wonderful that first, the King did it for us, but THEN He expects us to pass it on. To cover other people's nakedness. Because if you really look at Matthew 25:34 - 36, you will see that each and every one of those things He did for us one way or another.
We are to go around covering people's nakedness. We are to go around covering other people's shame. Nakedness is a symbol of our shame...our disobedience. BUT Jesus came to give us the shirt off of His back!
This week: clothe the naked. Physically or spiritually - CLOTHE THE NAKED MAN.
Micale
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:40 NKJV
We have a saying around my part of the country (maybe yours, too) that goes, "I'd give him (or her) the shirt off my back." For some reason or another, this phrase got stuck in my head a few months ago. Since the phrase isn't often used anymore, I am going to say that it was the Lord that put it there (I really can't think of any other viable explanation). As I began to mull this phrase over, the Lord began to show me something interestingly wonderful (or wonderfully interesting whichever way you wish to look at it).
Of all the people who ever said this phrase, who ever really HAD to give the shirt off of their back? To give the shirt off of your back would be to give what you are currently wearing to another person. That would leave you naked (or scantily clothed anyway). As the thought process moved on in my brain, I decided that I had never heard of anyone that had literally given the shirt off of their back to anyone! I have, however, seen many people go home, get in their closet and dig for all of their old clothing and give that away. I have seen a few people go to a store and buy something for someone to wear. But I have never seen anyone actually give the shirt off of their back. And I am sure if you think very hard, you won't remember anyone doing it either.
But my thought process (okay, it was the Holy Spirit. I must give credit where it is due.), brought me to another thought. To give someone the shirt off of your back would only happen IF the other person was naked. Otherwise, why would you give the shirt off of your back (you'd just be swapping clothes)? That is the thought with which the Holy Spirit really got my attention: WHY WOULD SOMEONE GIVE THE SHIRT OFF OF THEIR BACK?
The answer is to cover someone's nakedness (Hold on tight because the Holy Spirit completely takes off on this answer)! Granted, in today's society we see a lot more nakedness than in previous generations - let's just get that out of the way right now. However, throughout the Bible, nakedness is often referred to as shame. Just a few examples - I Samuel 20:30, Isaiah 47:3, and Ezekiel 16:8 (there are many, many, many more - go look them up). To find out WHY the Lord considers nakedness as another word for SHAME, we have to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3 - When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (of which God told them not to eat), they made clothing of fig leaves and hid themselves. Then God came down to talk with them, and when they did not immediately come, God asked, "Where are you?" Then Adam answered saying, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked..." God answered, "WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE NAKED? Did you eat of the tree which I commanded you not to eat?"
Now, I have always heard that Adam and Eve were "clothed with the glory of God". That is how I choose to think of them in the garden. If you agree or disagree doesn't really matter because either they lost their glory or they lost their innocence and brought shame (condemnation, sin, death, etc.) into the world. The first consequence of their disobedience was nakedness. Imagine, though, how awful it would be to lose the glory of God as your clothing. This is why nakedness has been considered shameful from generation to generation (until now, but THAT is another blog for another day).
It was at this point that I realized that "the eyes of my understanding were being enlightened" (that's Ephesians 1:18 by the way). Because WHO would cover the shame of the fall of man? WHO WOULD DO THAT?
There's only one person in the world who has literally become naked so that we would not be: Jesus. Here is a thought. I've seen many movies and paintings that depict Jesus hanging on the cross in some form of underwear, and I don't really think that is correct. If it is, then the Romans were not as cruel in crucifixion as history says. Why would they scourge someone and then nail them to a cross in their underwear? Crucifixion was a shameful way to die. It was a criminal's death, so why would you care if they were clothed or not? Again, this is something that I was told a while ago (and yes, I could be wrong. I just don't think that I am...), but Jesus was naked on the cross just like every other criminal that Rome crucified. Hence, he went to the cross to cover our shame of disobedience (our sin). THE ONLY PERSON IN HISTORY THAT I KNOW THAT EVER LITERALLY GAVE SOMEONE THE SHIRT OFF OF HIS BACK!
Take a deep breath. The Holy Spirit didn't stop there (I know. What more could you say, right? Wait for it. It's great. I promise.). Go to Matthew 25:34.
"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I WAS NAKED AND YOU CLOTHED ME; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me." And you know the rest - "Lord, when did we ever...." And He answered in verse 40. "Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My bretheren, you did it to Me."
I find it interestingly wonderful that first, the King did it for us, but THEN He expects us to pass it on. To cover other people's nakedness. Because if you really look at Matthew 25:34 - 36, you will see that each and every one of those things He did for us one way or another.
We are to go around covering people's nakedness. We are to go around covering other people's shame. Nakedness is a symbol of our shame...our disobedience. BUT Jesus came to give us the shirt off of His back!
This week: clothe the naked. Physically or spiritually - CLOTHE THE NAKED MAN.
Micale
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:40 NKJV
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