Thursday, June 27, 2013
Zechariah 3:3-4 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you."
CLEAN CLOTHES FOR A FILTHY SINNER
On Sunday morning my wife lines me up for inspection. She knows I often do a poor job of matching my clothes. She also looks for other things, such as egg yolk on my tie, shaving cream behind my ear, or something stuck between my teeth. When the inspection is completed, it's off to church I go to serve the Lord and His people.
In our text, Joshua the High Priest, certainly looks to have failed inspection. But, with Joshua, it's not a mere matter of his wife checking him over for mismatched socks. It's God seeing His servant absolutely soiled with sin. It's more like Joshua being covered in filth and vomit. Not a pretty sight, or pleasant to think about.
If whenever we sin some sort of stain or bit of yuck appeared on our clothing, what would we look like? What would we smell like? Sin is truly an ugly, smelly business. God, in His holiness, is repulsed and nauseated by it. He has every right to toss us into the garbage can of hell.
But look at Joshua again. Now he has clean, spotless, fresh clothes. He is dressed in the righteousness of the Angel of the Lord, Who is none other than the Son of God Himself. By God's grace Joshua now passes inspection. So do you. So do I. Christ's righteousness covers over all our filth. God takes away the sin of the world, and puts all that vomit on Christ. Christ dies and pays for it all. Then God takes Christ's righteousness -- His sinlessness -- and puts it on the sinner like a beautiful new coat. When the Spirit turns the sinner to Christ in faith, God's forgiveness and salvation become his personal possession.
In Christ we pass inspection. In so doing we're ready to serve the Lord with glad and thankful hearts.
