Wisdom of Jesus

Have you ever been in a situation where, for whatever reason, having left home in the morning, to return in the evening, you get caught in a dreadful storm and have to spend the night where you are? The place is safe and comfortable. Other people are there, so you are not alone. There’s a lot to eat and drink. The one snag for you is that you have no extra change of clothes. That’s all good news for you, but you are concerned that you have no extra change of clothes with you. Just then, the owner of the place calls out that you are not to worry about clothes to wear. Isn’t that good news for you? Before you can turn around twice, the owner comes with a clean change of new clothes for you. You can’t believe your eyes. You are thankful and totally taken with, not just hearing the good news about clothes, but actually receiving clothes and being able to wear them.

Do you know that your Jesus has promised to clothe you, whatever the situation, so that you do not ever have to be without clean clothes to wear, because of unforeseen circumstances? More challenging yet, do you know that there was a time when Jesus sent out His disciples on a mission, which was no one-day mission and told them, among other things, not to take extra clothing? We may not see His wisdom in this, we may not even understand any of our Master’s logic, but He does not call us to understand Him, just to have faith and trust in Him. He clothes us in fat, faith and trust so that we do not look and try to understand with our limited human intelligence. Our learned, carnal minds are definitely in total opposition to our Lord.

What’s our good news here? It is that Jesus already has clothes prepared for us, so that in any situation, difficult or otherwise, He is the Person who clothes us appropriately and adequately. Jesus sends His disciples on mission and one of His instructions is that they are not to take an extra shirt. Matthew 10: 10 reads thus. Take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Many good things are jumping out at us. What are you hearing and seeing of Jesus? One of the most comforting words jumping out at me, as interpreted by His Living Spirit, is that Jesus has made you and me His workers. Has He not sent us out to do His bidding? If He expects us to receive earthly payment for our works will He not give us spiritual good for our work? What I mean is this. When He sends us out and we are obedient to His calls, will He not clothe us in faith and trust, which bring only His bountiful blessings?

As has already been stated, in His wisdom, Jesus has instructed us to take no extra clothes. This is being shown to us, in this learning, as not carrying anything extra, good or bad, which will easily erode and eat away at faith and trust. It’s like taking an umbrella with you, just in case it rains. Now that is good and wise to do, because we do not know what lies ahead. But in this work of Jesus, we are not called to take things, just in case. We are called to have faith and trust in our Lord, who knows the way, and all that will happen along the way. Our good news is that Jesus not only knows the way but He has taken the responsibility to keep us adequately and satisfactorily clothed to be able to do His works in us, to His honour and pleasure.

Now is this not even more stirring and deeply motivational news? Here is the picture our Lord opens up before us. It is one of Himself – God the Son – who lived in heaven, fully clothed in divinity, glory, majesty and riches. However, when God the Father sent Him to earth, to help us poor, helpless creatures, lost in sin and darkness, He was not allowed to wear any extra ‘coat’ as it were. He was instructed to wear His coat of Love. Check it out. He did not come displaying, His divinity, but His humanity; His majesty, but His humility; His glory, but His poverty; His superiority, but His submission; His power, but His weakness. Jesus came as an ordinary human being, fully dependent on the Holy Spirit, and living in obedience to Him. Does this not open you up to the wisdom in mission of our Jesus, for all who have received the power and authority of His Name? All we are being shown is that when Jesus instructs us and sends us out in His Name, He has made us to take but a leaf from the publication of His Life among us.