The Clothes

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? … All who see me mock me they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” … For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet … they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Mark 15:24 (AMPC) - And they crucified Him; and they divided His garments and distributed them among themselves, throwing lots for them to decide who should take what.

Psalm 22:18 (AMPC) - They part my clothing among them and cast lots for my raiment (a long, shirtlike garment, a seamless undertunic).

Mark 15:16-20 (AMPC) - Then the soldiers led Him away to the courtyard inside the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and they called the entire detachment of soldiers together. 17 And they dressed Him in purple [robe], and, weaving together a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him. 18 And they began to salute Him, Hail (greetings, good health to You, long life to You), King of the Jews! 19 And they struck His head with a staff made of a [bamboo-like] reed and spat on Him and kept bowing their knees in homage to Him. 20 And when they had [finished] making sport of Him, they took the purple [robe] off of Him and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.

Luke 23:34 (NLT) - Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

John 19:2-5, 23-24 (NLT) - The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. 3 “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. 4 Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” … 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.

The Clothes Make… the Man.

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.” - Mark Twain

You can’t judge a book by… its cover.

All that glitters is not… gold.

Beauty is only skin… deep.

You have to put your best foot… forward.

You have to dress for… success.

John 10:18 (NLT) - No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.

Isaiah 61:1-3, 10 (NIV) - The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair… 10 I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.

Mark 15:16-20 (AMPC) Then the soldiers led Him away to the courtyard inside the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and they called the entire detachment of soldiers together. 17 And they dressed Him in purple [robe], and, weaving together a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him. 18 And they began to salute Him, Hail (greetings, good health to You, long life to You), King of the Jews! 19 And they struck His head with a staff made of a [bamboo-like] reed and spat on Him and kept bowing their knees in homage to Him. 20 And when they had [finished] making sport of Him, they took the purple [robe] off of Him and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.

Isaiah 53:2-3 (NLT) - My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Matthew 26:53 (NIV) - Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?

Galatians 6:9 (NIV) - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.