With Robes Not Torn

In Matthew 26:65 the high priest, Caiaphas, tore his robes when Jesus affirmed that He was indeed the messiah, the son of the Living God.  This is not the first instance of the tearing of one's robe in the face of grief or distress. Israel's kings often did it when confronted with a nation about to defeat them. Young King Josiah did it when he heard the word of the Lord concerning the sinful ways of Judah. Job did it when he was in grief over the loss of his family and seeming absence of God. But Dr. Larry Crabb points out that one group of people, priests, were not to ever tear their robes except in the face of blasphemy. Scriptures in Exodus 28,29 and Leviticus 10 and 21 indicate that priest were not to tear their robes in the face of distress or personal grief but only in the case of blasphemy. Even when Aaron's sons were killed he could not tear his robes in grief lest he too be killed. This is why Paul and Barnabas tore their robes in Acts 14 when the people in Lystra declared them to be gods. Paul, a rabbi, tore his robes to affirm his humanity and grieve the Lystrians blasphemy.

Why the harshness on priests? Do they not grieve as others at the loss of family and friends? Do they not face distressing circumstances and are they not human with the same needs and emotions? Yes, but the priest also had another calling. Once a year one of them would be chosen to go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for all of Israel. He would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat for the sins of the people and pray that God would accept their offering as an atonement for sin. The implication is that one who stands in the presence of God should never view any circumstance, no matter how dreadful, costly, distressing, and grievous as hopeless beyond the ability of God to bring salvation and relief. The Apostle Paul put it this way, "we do not grieve as those who have no hope" (I Thess. 4:13).

The implications for the church are especially relevant in the light of so many problems which plague our world. With wars, disease, poverty, wild fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, drugs, terrorists, job troubles, relationship troubles and brussel sprouts, it is understandable if we went about in distress with our robes figuratively torn because of our grief. I haven't even mentioned the ultimate nemisis, death. But we in the church join others and feel for ourselves the weight of these painful demons and problems loosed in our world. Yet, we are not to tear our robes. Wait, you say, we're not priests. Yes, you are. Eph. 4:11-12 tells us all believers are ministers. Revelation 1:6, 5:10 and 20:6 reminds us that we are indeed a kingdom of priests. And Hebrews 10:19 informs us that all believers can confidently enter into the Most Holy Place, the presence of God, through the blood of Jesus. Therefore, even in the face of horror, disease, and even death we, in essence, do not tear our robes. We greive, we hurt, we cry, we ask why, but never without hope, never without the very presence of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We ared pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecutied, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (II Cor. 4: 7-10)

As believers, our hearts can ache and break. As believers, our minds can frazzle and our emotions fume but we do so with robes not torn for our robes are robes of righteousness, whole and complete in the salvation of Christ.

Hole-y, wholly, Holy,
Cos