“So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit.” Genesis 37:27 “Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.” Genesis 37:29 “And Jacob recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.” Genesis 37:33-34 (NKJV)
Isn’t it interesting that within the span of a few verses, the 3 main characters in this well known bible story ended up naked? Joseph was just doing his job. He was just being himself and his brothers attacked him and stripped him naked. Reuben did not have the backbone to stand up against the crowd and when it was too late to fix his mistake, he ripped off his clothes in the shame of his cowardliness. Jacob suffered the heartache of incredible loss and in his all-consuming pain; he ripped his clothes as he suffered inconsolable pain.
The thought of actually being naked in public is nightmarish to me, but I understand the sensation of feeling so vulnerable and exposed, that it seems like everyone is staring at you.
Like Joseph, you probably have just been minding your own business or doing your job as best as you know how when you get blindsided by an attack that leaves you shattered and laid bare. You are made aware of rumors being told about you or you get wind of gossip in which you are the principal character. It sucks. You leave the comfort of your home feeling stripped naked with the eyes of the world staring in on your personal life.
Reuben made some big mistakes. I know you have made mistakes. I have made millions and sometimes, I have screwed up publicly and been left riddled with shame and embarrassment. Even though we are all sinners, it is awful to give the world a visible reminder of how messed up and sinful we are. We end up feeling helpless and undressed in front of everyone.
Jacob felt the intense grief of losing his precious son. The grief that comes when we ache over the loss of a loved one is universal, but we long to keep it personal. We live in a world filled with kind people who want to comfort and help ease the pain, but receiving consolation exposes our private wounds. When our heartbreak is raw, we feel unprotected and stripped bare.
We don’t usually picture Jesus being naked. It seems outrageously disrespectful and crude, but He was stripped bare for us on the way to His crucifixion.
“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him.” Matthew 27:27-29 (NKJV)
Jesus, the Son of God and King of glory came down from heaven and was beaten, lied about, abandoned, mocked, whipped, spat on and stripped totally naked for you. He was left vulnerable, grieved and exposed. He despised the shame but endured the cross because He loves you.
He is the one who will help you when you are attacked. He understands the pain of grief and loss and He longs to comfort you, and He is the one who died, naked on a cross, for you. He promises to forgive you for all those embarrassing mistakes and sins. He sees every part of you; nothing is hidden; you are naked in front of Him and if He is the one you call “Savior”, He replies, “You are Beautiful.” Let Him cover up your nakedness with His robe of righteousness; there is nothing better to be clothed in.
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Isaiah 61:10 (NKJV)
An Excerpt from “The Hiding Place” by Corrie ten Boom:
“Fridays–the recurrent humiliation of medical inspection. The hospital corridor in which we waited was unheated and a fall chill had settled into the walls. Still we were forbidden even to wrap ourselves in our own arms, but had to maintain our erect, hands-at-sides position as we filed slowly past a phalanx of grinning guards.
“How there could have been any pleasure in the sight of these stick-thin legs and hunger-bloated stomachs I could not imagine. Surely there is no more wretched sight than the human body unloved and uncared for.
“Nor could I see the necessity for the complete undressing: when we finally reached the examining room a doctor looked down each throat, another–a dentist presumably–at our teeth, a third in between each finger. And that was all. We trooped again down the long, cold corridor and picked up our X-marked dresses at the door.
“But it was one of these mornings while we were waiting, shivering in the corridor, that yet another page in the Bible leapt into life for me.
“He hung naked on the cross.
“…The paintings, the carved crucifixes showed at least a scrap of cloth. But this, I suddenly knew, was the respect and reverence of the artist. But oh–at the time itself, on that other Friday morning–there had been no reverence. No more than I saw in the faces around us now.
“‘Betsie, they took His clothes too.’
“‘Ahead of me I heard a little gasp. ‘Oh, Corrie. And I never thanked Him…
Oh Dear friends, We need to thank our precious Jesus!
Reminds me of one of my favorite Oswald Chambers quotes, “The feebleness of the church is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this focus on the true center of spiritual power. We have not dwelt enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of redemption.” We tend to glamorize the Cross, when in reality, its heinousness is what makes it so beautiful. Redemption is so much more powerful when you see the truth of Calvary. Thanks for sharing.