July 2023

Laundry is something we can’t escape. Unless we’re committed to buying new clothes every other day, we’re going to have to wash what we have. (It’s fine if your spouse does it, but don’t assume that’s the case; talk it over first!)

Having a routine is helpful, but whether we follow a schedule is secondary. What’s important is that we clean our clothing!

In the middle of one of his fantastic visions, the apostle John saw a crowd of saints all decked out.

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” – Revelation 7:9

A humongous crowd of souls from every corner of the planet–what a sight! I’m sure their faces all looked different, but they all wore the same thing. Everyone had a white robe on.

What does this assembly have to do with doing laundry? Well, the robes of these people weren’t always white. In fact, they’d been quite dirty.

But no more.

An elder in heaven explained to John: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14b).

These were sinners who’d become saints by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Lord dealt with the stain of sin on their hearts, but He got their clothes clean, too.

Clothing does more than cover us; it communicates who we are. What we wear shows what we value. It helps us define ourselves and fit into our place in society.

If you play baseball, you wear the team’s uniform. If you do construction, you wear a hardhat. Politicians should dress up and look professional.

Look like the role you’re trying to play.

The problem, though, is that sin stains us inside and outside. It’s thorough. Sin darkens our hearts and sullies our clothes.

Some of this is our fault. When we make poor decisions, we get filthy and uncomfortable. But the world does its share, too. How often have cruel words, harmful lies, and bitter accusations besmirched our reputations and soiled our self-perceptions? How many have we dirtied with our harsh words or mean tirades?

We need cleansing!

The multitude John saw found the solution. The blood of Jesus had washed their robes. Now, their garments were sparkling white. Clean as a whistle!

This is a bigger benefit than we may realize. At the end of Revelation, John writes the following: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates” (22:14).

Only those who wear clean clothes can approach the tree of life in the New Jerusalem. If we want to enjoy eternal glory, we need to dress the part.

This means wearing white. That’s heaven’s dress code!

But Jesus modeled this for us. When He was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, “His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them” (Mark 9:13).

Christ’s robe revealed His character. The radiance and brightness of His garment displayed His holiness and glory.

The apostles observed this wonder, but could they participate? Can we?

Only if the Lord makes a way.

To make it possible, the Holy One laid down His life. By shedding His blood, Jesus gives us the washing we need on the inside and on the outside. His blood, though red, makes our dirty clothes white.

Amazing!

The Old Testament foreshadowed this blessing. In his prayer of repentance, David cried out, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). Only God can purify a sinful soul.

And the prophet Isaiah reported God’s perspective: “‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18).

What’s interesting here is that God calls the sins of Israel scarlet, red, crimson–all of which resemble blood. White represents holiness; we get that. But the sins of the people aren’t described as dark as dirt; they’re called red.

Just like the blood of Jesus.

Could this be what Paul was referring to when he described the remarkable sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf?

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

The blood of Jesus, pure and good, was shed for our sinfulness. His lifeblood identified with our failures. And the result is righteousness. Through Christ’s gift of Himself at the cross, God makes us right. The disorders of our lives get corrected. We receive cleansing. Even our laundry–the way we present ourselves in the world–gets washed!

Our instinct for cleanliness is right on the mark. Most people would prefer to wear clean clothing, not dirty rags. Grit and grime are uncomfortable; they irritate and make us irritable. We’re not supposed to live a filthy life.

But apart from God’s grace in Christ, we have no way to clean ourselves. There’s no spiritual shower that can wash us, no spiritual washing machine that can clean our clothes. If we want pure lives, we must come to Jesus, Who alone can purify us.

His blood is better than bleach. The blood of Jesus will never fail to wash the dirtiest garments and make them their whitest. Bleach can damage some clothes, but the grace of God through the cross will restore ours.

We need only ask for His mercy.