What Are You Wearing?

“Did you hear that? The sound of thousands of feet passing nearby just outside the city gates. What is that?” These are a few of the questions I imagine Blind Bartimaeus asking as he felt the dust on the road swiftly being moved aside by the feet of the multitude. Could this be Him? Jesus, the one I had heard of before? I can see Blind Bartimaeus, filled with hope, slowly drawing closer toward the large crowd and asking, “What is happening?” After hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, Blind Bartimaeus cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47)” Then many from the crowd yelled at him telling him to be quiet. But don’t they know this is Jesus? Don’t they know this is the promised Messiah? He is able to heal me? This is my only chance. I must cry out louder! “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Unsure of whether Jesus had heard his cry or not, I can see Bartimaeus getting desperate. But then shortly afterwards, some people from the crowd tell him, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you! (Mark 10:49)” Jesus is calling for me! Well, I won’t be needing this old thing!  So,

throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you? The blind man said to Him “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

(Mark 10:50-52)

As I was studying the Bible recently, I couldn’t help but to notice multiple references to the garment or type of clothing that characters wore throughout the Bible. From linen and purple to sackcloth and ashes, I realized that people didn’t put on certain types of clothes just to “wear” them. The garments one wore seemed to give insight into the condition of the person. The clothes had meaning. They told a story.

So here, in the story of Blind Bartimaeus, we can see that the clothes he wore while he was blind give us insight into his condition. Throughout the Bible, we can see that it was common for beggars to wear a certain type of clothing. Given the condition of Bartimaeus, he was unable to work jobs that required physical labor so he became a beggar. But Jesus heard his cry and we can see that Blind Bartimaeus was healed! As we further examine this story, notice that Bartimaeus “threw aside his garment” in the process of rising and coming to Jesus. It appears as though Bartimaeus displayed faith by the very act of throwing aside his garment as he went to see Jesus. He believed he would no longer have need of the clothes which signified that he was a beggar. So, by faith, he cast those garments aside. I can see Bartimaeus saying, “Healed people don’t wear beggars clothing. I believe that I receive.” So, Bartimaeus threw aside his garment and received his sight! We can even see faith displayed in the words that Bartimaeus spoke and his attitude. He was persistent in asking Jesus to have mercy on him. Even when many from the crowd told him to be quiet, he cried out louder. He didn’t let other people stop him from receiving. Faith is a firm persuasion…to be fully convinced. Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was able to restore his sight so he didn’t give up in his pursuit. He was persistent and maintained an attitude of faith! I love it!!

In the Bible, we can see that priests, lepers, widows, mourners, and more each had certain types of clothing that indicated their status. You knew the condition or status of a person simply by observing the type of garments they were wearing. As I studied the story of Bartimaeus, I was reminded of Jesus “rising from supper, laying aside His garment, and wrapping a towel around his waist” in John 13:4 right before he began to wash the disciples feet. Jesus took on the form of a servant. This was a visual display of the new commandment Jesus gave to love one another unconditionally. It was an example He gave us to follow. Also, in Isaiah 61:3, we can see that God gave us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” That’s good news!!

There are many items throughout the Word that we are told to put on or take off. God really cares about the clothing we are wearing 🙂 We are told to…

• put on “the whole armor of God” (Ephesian 6)
• put on “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering…and love” (Colossians 3:12-14)
• be “clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5)
• “put off our old self” (Ephesians 4:22)
• “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1)
• put off “anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and filthy language” (Colossians 3:8)

Now that I think of it, the way we dress could give insight into our condition…insight into our status. Redeemed…Delivered….Loved…Healed…Righteous….A Child of God! Are you choosing to put on love? What about kindness or humility? Our decision of what we chose to wear as we go throughout life can determine whether people see God in us or not. That’s huge! It looks like The Word of God is a great personal stylist for help deciding what to wear and what not to wear 🙂 Who knew God was so interested in clothing! Psalms 104:1-2 even tells us that God Himself is “clothed with honor and majesty…covered with light as with a garment.” So beautiful!! I encourage you to pause, reflect and honestly ask yourself the question, “(Insert Your Name Here), What Are You Wearing?”