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Why Take Ye Thought For Raiment
Why take ye thought for raiment?
Matthew 6:28, “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin...”
If we are going to answer this question honestly, we must first accept the premise that we do take thought for raiment. Could there be anyone who does not agree with this? Clothes are some of the most important things we use in judging status in our society. Clothing is a major visual clue we use to decide “who” we are talking to, what place in society he or she holds, what they may do for a living, and into what financial bracket they fall.
These clues are apparent to us, whether consciously or unconsciously; by the clothes we see them wear. Secondly we may look to the face and expression, third to the conversation and deportment, and fourth to the claims they make with their words, but for the most part, we judge and decide, criticize and condemn, or justify and idolize by the clothes a person wears. With objective consideration, we would discover this behavior to be shameful at least, and at worst, insane.
The Clothes Make The Man.
Or so it is said. We are all subjected to this “Dress for Success” mentality in one form or another. Any of us will feel different, and indeed, be different to one degree or another, if given a different outfit of clothes.
We all look for the clothes to be, at least congruent to the station in life to which that person lays claim. Imagine a policeman with no emblem of authority, no uniform, without anything to separate him from the crowd and nothing to show his authority? What could he accomplish? Imagine what respect a stockbroker would get at an investment strategy meeting who was dressed in tatters. Or conversely, wouldn’t an employee who dressed better than all his peers be considered first for promotion? Consider what changes would come over even a homeless man with a new suit of clothes. We must concede – there is power in appearance.
In our society, we are trained to look at the cloth with which a person is wrapped, from Barbie dolls to CEO’s. Life and society has taught us that we are no greater than how we appear, we are no more noble, no richer, no more intelligent, no better, than the clothes on our back.
Although nearly all of society judges and is judged by dress, is a Christian to participate in this masquerade party? Opinions are many on this subject, so let us defer to the Scriptures.
“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? …If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” (James 2:1-9)
Some may argue that this Scripture only deals with our attitude toward the way someone is dressed and says nothing about whether we should give so much care to the way we dress ourselves. But consider this: When we dress ourselves in clothing finer than our peers are we not respecting a person’s outer appearance? Albeit, we are respecting ourselves, are we not expecting others to have respect toward us and hold us in higher esteem because of our clothing? Are we not guilty of creating in others, the very sin we are admonished to reject in ourselves? A few moments of consideration will reveal the convoluted reasoning we have used to dress according to our pride and avarice while simultaneously condemning “respect of persons” as sin. When we expect others to respect us, or form opinions about us, by the way we dress, we are cultivating characteristics in others that are unwelcome in ourselves.
Another consideration is mockery. When we drape our body with garnish, gold, and finery, do we not mock God? After all, clothes are only a necessary part of our life because of mankind’s sin. Can you see the connection in sin and clothing? These elements, present at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, are consistently appearing in our list of present-day struggles with righteousness. Clothes, food, pride, and every lust of the eye, are all present in our daily quest to avoid sin and please God. To take pride in our covering, indeed in our atonement, is a strange (if not evil) behavior, is it not? None put it better than did the Quaker apologist, Robert Barclay speaking on simplicity in dress…
“In the first place, the use of clothes originally came from the fall of Adam, and otherwise man would apparently have had no use for them. But his miserable state made them necessary to cover his nakedness and keep him from becoming cold. Both are good and sufficient reasons for wearing clothes, and the principal reason we do so. But it can in no way be lawful for a man to delight himself with the fruit of his iniquity and the consequences of his sin. Any superfluous additions or extensions beyond their real use are clear abuses of the creation and therefore they are not lawful for Christians. Those who love gaudy and ostentatious clothing demonstrate little concern for mortification or self-denial. They apply themselves more to beautifying their bodies than to improving their souls. Those who have so little regard for their mortal condition are more nominal than real Christians.”[1]
“…let it not be that outward…”
What waste we would avoid and what equality we would enjoy if we were to gain mastery over this insidious flaw in the character of man. What thrift, what humility, what reality would we be brought to if only we evaluated each other as God does?
“…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Jesus said, Behold, [for example, let me present] the flowers. They don’t work until they’re weary so they can wear the best fashions. They wear what is provided and eat what is provided. What outstanding examples of faith in their God, and what great examples of health and beauty.
If our lives reflected such health, beauty, and faith, what excellent examples we would be to behold.
Clothes have a power far beyond their basic and intrinsic ability for weather protection and obscuration of nakedness. This power must be respected and held in check. Do you place more value upon clothes than is just and right? Do you judge God’s children by the cut and price of the mere cloth draped over their shoulders? Are you more concerned with a garment’s fashion than its function? You should consider, the question of Christ, “Why take ye thought for raiment?”
[1] From Barclay’s Apology in Modern English edited by Dean Freiday p. 406 ã1991 Barclay Press
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By Don C. Harris (AP)Why take ye thought for raiment?
Matthew 6:28, “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin...”
If we are going to answer this question honestly, we must first accept the premise that we do take thought for raiment. Could there be anyone who does not agree with this? Clothes are some of the most important things we use in judging status in our society. Clothing is a major visual clue we use to decide “who” we are talking to, what place in society he or she holds, what they may do for a living, and into what financial bracket they fall.
These clues are apparent to us, whether consciously or unconsciously; by the clothes we see them wear. Secondly we may look to the face and expression, third to the conversation and deportment, and fourth to the claims they make with their words, but for the most part, we judge and decide, criticize and condemn, or justify and idolize by the clothes a person wears. With objective consideration, we would discover this behavior to be shameful at least, and at worst, insane.
The Clothes Make The Man.
Or so it is said. We are all subjected to this “Dress for Success” mentality in one form or another. Any of us will feel different, and indeed, be different to one degree or another, if given a different outfit of clothes.
We all look for the clothes to be, at least congruent to the station in life to which that person lays claim. Imagine a policeman with no emblem of authority, no uniform, without anything to separate him from the crowd and nothing to show his authority? What could he accomplish? Imagine what respect a stockbroker would get at an investment strategy meeting who was dressed in tatters. Or conversely, wouldn’t an employee who dressed better than all his peers be considered first for promotion? Consider what changes would come over even a homeless man with a new suit of clothes. We must concede – there is power in appearance.
In our society, we are trained to look at the cloth with which a person is wrapped, from Barbie dolls to CEO’s. Life and society has taught us that we are no greater than how we appear, we are no more noble, no richer, no more intelligent, no better, than the clothes on our back.
Although nearly all of society judges and is judged by dress, is a Christian to participate in this masquerade party? Opinions are many on this subject, so let us defer to the Scriptures.
“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? …If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” (James 2:1-9)
Some may argue that this Scripture only deals with our attitude toward the way someone is dressed and says nothing about whether we should give so much care to the way we dress ourselves. But consider this: When we dress ourselves in clothing finer than our peers are we not respecting a person’s outer appearance? Albeit, we are respecting ourselves, are we not expecting others to have respect toward us and hold us in higher esteem because of our clothing? Are we not guilty of creating in others, the very sin we are admonished to reject in ourselves? A few moments of consideration will reveal the convoluted reasoning we have used to dress according to our pride and avarice while simultaneously condemning “respect of persons” as sin. When we expect others to respect us, or form opinions about us, by the way we dress, we are cultivating characteristics in others that are unwelcome in ourselves.
Another consideration is mockery. When we drape our body with garnish, gold, and finery, do we not mock God? After all, clothes are only a necessary part of our life because of mankind’s sin. Can you see the connection in sin and clothing? These elements, present at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, are consistently appearing in our list of present-day struggles with righteousness. Clothes, food, pride, and every lust of the eye, are all present in our daily quest to avoid sin and please God. To take pride in our covering, indeed in our atonement, is a strange (if not evil) behavior, is it not? None put it better than did the Quaker apologist, Robert Barclay speaking on simplicity in dress…
“In the first place, the use of clothes originally came from the fall of Adam, and otherwise man would apparently have had no use for them. But his miserable state made them necessary to cover his nakedness and keep him from becoming cold. Both are good and sufficient reasons for wearing clothes, and the principal reason we do so. But it can in no way be lawful for a man to delight himself with the fruit of his iniquity and the consequences of his sin. Any superfluous additions or extensions beyond their real use are clear abuses of the creation and therefore they are not lawful for Christians. Those who love gaudy and ostentatious clothing demonstrate little concern for mortification or self-denial. They apply themselves more to beautifying their bodies than to improving their souls. Those who have so little regard for their mortal condition are more nominal than real Christians.”[1]
“…let it not be that outward…”
What waste we would avoid and what equality we would enjoy if we were to gain mastery over this insidious flaw in the character of man. What thrift, what humility, what reality would we be brought to if only we evaluated each other as God does?
“…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Jesus said, Behold, [for example, let me present] the flowers. They don’t work until they’re weary so they can wear the best fashions. They wear what is provided and eat what is provided. What outstanding examples of faith in their God, and what great examples of health and beauty.
If our lives reflected such health, beauty, and faith, what excellent examples we would be to behold.
Clothes have a power far beyond their basic and intrinsic ability for weather protection and obscuration of nakedness. This power must be respected and held in check. Do you place more value upon clothes than is just and right? Do you judge God’s children by the cut and price of the mere cloth draped over their shoulders? Are you more concerned with a garment’s fashion than its function? You should consider, the question of Christ, “Why take ye thought for raiment?”
[1] From Barclay’s Apology in Modern English edited by Dean Freiday p. 406 ã1991 Barclay Press