Disciples Dress Code

Wear sandals and a tunic

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.
He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.
[Mark 6:7-10 NKJV]

I’m still not sure what Jesus meant by stay until you go, but that is not what is under consideration today. We can readily understand His instruction to ‘travel light’ and not burden yourself with encumbrances — to trust in Him for your every need (not your every want; your every need), for He makes it clear to those who follow Him that the necessities of life are assured.

What intrigued me was His exhortation to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Sandals were, indeed still are, a simple piece of leather to protect the sole of the foot while walking. To Jesus, this was a protective membrane, a barrier, to shield your spiritual walk in the heavenly realms against contact with the worldly soil of the earth. Jesus’ focus is always looking up on the Father and the Spiritual, rather than down to the dirt beneath our feet.

He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
[John 3:31 NKJV]

But why not to put on two tunics? Why not say ‘wear only one tunic’? Because it is not about what you wear, but about what you put on, spiritually. The word translated here as tunic, also means garment, or covering. If we are truly trusting in Him, then we will have our natural covering — the clothes we wear — and our spiritual covering — our Heavenly Father.

What Jesus is warning His disciples about (and us also) is not to trust our natural selves for the way ahead. Wear your natural garment as is needed for your bodily protection (and incidentally, the word for tunic implies that the cloth will be of linen - a symbol of holiness); but beyond that, the only covering needed will be The Lord.

He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night.
The people asked, and He brought quail, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
[Psalm 105:39-40 NKJV]

And we know who is the bread of heaven.

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“Someone Made The Sandals Jesus Wore” — Paul Williams and The Victory Trio

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OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE
Saturday 12th September 2020
The Christian life is stamped by “moral spontaneous originality,” consequently the disciple is open to the same charge that Jesus Christ was, viz.: that of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent to God.

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