Tonight, as I was getting ready for a shower ironically enough, I remembered a quote from Rob Bell that struck me in a way I never really thought of before. This might make your 12 year old self come out a little bit, but what I'm about to talk about is very biblical.
The quote says as follows: "It's easy to take off your clothes and have sex. People do it all the time. But opening up your soul to someone, letting them into your spirit, thoughts, fears, future, hopes, dreams...that is being naked." (Just in case you missed it in the picture above) I had seen this quote through pictures similar to the one above that had floated through social media and for some reason it wouldn't leave my mind tonight until I really thought about it more in detail. The epiphany that I had was one that had crossed my mind before, but not in so much detail.
Whenever I read the bible, I try to read it in 3 ways: Literally, Figuratively, and Historically. There's a passage related to tonights topic that I had to read in the first 2 ways. Matthew 25:31-46. I won't put the whole passage up, but I'll do a summary of what it says. Jesus is talking about his return. He's separating his followers and non followers. To his followers, he's allowing into heaven and the presence of God. To the non followers, he's pretty much telling them to roll bounce. Both parties are confused as to why they are given what they are given. Jesus gives the same answer but to one in the positive and the other the negative. Cue the tie in to the topic of this blog post.
To the followers, Jesus says to them: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (35-36) The followers ask "When did we do all these things?" (37-39, summary) Jesus responds with saying: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (40) Likewise, Jesus pulls the same stuff on the non believers, but opposite of the believers. They, the non believers, didn't do what the believers did as mentioned above and Jesus isn't very thrilled with this.
"Okay Richie....Where are you going with this?" -You
Well....hear me out.
So, when I first read this passage when I was a bit younger I read it very literally. If I saw someone who was hungry, I needed to give them a meal. If I knew someone in jail, I should go visit them (which I do and have done terrible at this, by the way), so on and so forth...
but then tonight, I thought about this from a figurative mindset, and remember the quote from the picture above.
This thought may just blow your mind, possibly even piss you off, but...what if Jesus wants us to take this passage, not just literally, but figuratively as well? Sure, Jesus wants us to actually go and do those things mentioned above, but what if he also wants us to do those things in a much deeper context?
I re-read that scripture tonight and applied it to a much more deeper meaning than just the physical, tangible implications behind it. I thought of it like this: Many of us hunger for the love and joy that only God can truly provide. And though Jesus can fulfill that need and desire whenever he'd want to, one thing about God is that he likes to reveal himself to us through each other. So, how do we do that in context to this passage? Well...If a person is hungry for God, and is searching for him, God might just use you to help reveal himself to that person in a way that person needs. For example, a person might really be struggling to hold on to his/her faith in Christ, and it's slipping from them. Let's say for this example, that the major cause for this persons faith to begin slipping away is that person hasn't seen a true reflective example of Christ. He/She is skeptical of the church and doesn't trust anyone and no one really seems to give them their time of day. Here you have a choice: Do you take notice of this persons need and go feed their faith? Or do what may seem that others have done and leave that person to starve? My hope is you do the former.
Switching gears, let's talk about the figurative meaning behind clothing the naked. There are people who want desperately to be able to trust those around them. To be able to bear to them everything about them: The struggles, the successes, the fears, the dreams....basically everything from Rob Bell's quote. In essence...they want to be naked. Probably not physically naked, but spiritually naked. To be able to truly trust someone with everything about them. So what does this have to do with clothing them? Well, from the figurative stand point, clothing here means to basically say to them "You can trust me." Them being in this nakedness is them saying "I need somebody, anybody who is willing to cover me. I need help. I'm vulnerable." Imagine being physically naked on the street, or in your church, or at work, or you know, wherever, and you really don't want to be. It's humiliating isn't it? It is you literally baring your all to everyone around you and it can be rather embarrassing and, again, humiliating. So, you can do what most people do and say something along the lines of "Eww....get this man/woman some clothes. That's not right." And proceed to walk away in disgust or even embarrassment while leaving the need unattended, OR...do whatever you can to meet that persons needs, which in the figurative case, is taking the time to be there for that person and provide what you can, whether that means time, money, effort, energy, patience, and so on while they are dressing themselves to "be clothed in righteousness." By being there to provide for that person those "clothes" will help them to become just that...Clothed in righteousness. By being there through those rough things in that persons life, the very core things of the soul, you are helping that person in more ways then you may realize. You very well be the influential make or break it for that persons spiritual journey.
I want to make a follow up post to this to go into much more detail, but I'll save that for another time, but before ending this I want to leave you with a challenge. Read the end of Matthew 25, and look at the examples Jesus is giving those people as more than just the visible, tangible things that it says, and instead look at those things as spiritual needs. Thirsty for God's word, looking for a church home of true acceptance as they are, visiting those who are stuck in the prison of their sins and working with them to be released from that prison, and so on and so forth. Then challenge yourself to go and meet those needs for someone in your community, in your church, in your school, in your town or city. Try it and see if it gives you another perspective on what Jesus wants you to do and see how it challenges you in where you are in your own spiritual walk. Or you can do nothing about any of those needs and just keep on with your own life. You know...it's your choice. I can't make you do anything, just suggest. :)
Till next time
Richie The Rapper.
