Seamless

I love to read to my children, both to my own and to the ones in my classroom. One of my favorites we've read in the last month is a wintry one entitled Sneezy the Snowman. It's a fun little story about a snowman who wants to do different activities like drink hot chocolate or sit in a hot tub, but as you might guess, such activities are not conducive to his core temperature, and so, inevitably... he melts. All his leftover pieces -- carrot and coal -- cry out: "Make me brand new!" which I always read with gusto in a high-pitched voice that makes my kindergartners giggle every time.

So the other characters in the story gather round and re-create poor Sneezy until he's a snowman once again and goes on his merry way to find his next adventure: "Make me brand new!"

Today in John 19:17-27, John gives us the account of Jesus' crucifixion. He doesn't spend a lot of time on the gory details, though by the very nature of crucifixion, you know they're present. He doesn't talk much about Jesus' agony, but because of the medical descriptions helpfully detailed for us by modern-day physicians of what happens physically in a crucifixion, we know He suffered greatly. It's easy, sometimes to gloss over this momentous and torturous event with a blasé Jesus died on the cross, particularly if you, like me, were raised hearing about this story nearly every Sunday and especially at Easter. 

If that's the case, I encourage you to try the link I posted. It will take you out of the realm of blasé and into the realm of horror at what Jesus endured. 

The point isn't the agony, though. The point is the agony... for us. We are the only reason Jesus submitted Himself to go through the suffering He did. We are the only reason He left His Father to come to the degradation and confinement of the physical realm. And we are some of the ones who repeatedly point to the Man on the cross and laugh. Or worse... turn away with unbelief.

John 19:17 begins with the trip to Golgotha, a place just outside of Jerusalem. The name means: "Place of the Skull," and no one is exactly sure if it was a hill that looked skull-like or if it was called this because so many crucifixions and deaths occurred there. Either way, it's not far from the city walls, and so there are many witnesses to Jesus' ordeal.

Jesus is forced to carry a beam of His own cross. John doesn't mention a man name Simon from Cyrene (the other Gospels give us this detail), who is forced to pick up that beam and carry it for Jesus when He stumbles beneath the heavy load. Jesus has been severely beaten and has been awake all night at this point. Blood loss, pain, and exhaustion have greatly weakened him. Simon must finish the job.

When they arrive at Golgotha, the beams of Jesus' cross are fastened together, either in the traditional form we think of, or in the shape of a T, an X, a Y, or an I (in the last case, an additional beam wouldn't be needed). Wrought-iron spikes are driven through the heel-bones of His wrists. His feet are placed one on top of the other, and another spike driven through them, deep into the wood. I'll spare you the rest of the physical details (again, if you can handle it, read the above link).

The cross is raised up alongside two other crosses on which hang two thieves, one on either side of Jesus. And there, three men are displayed for the world to see... One is innocent, the other two are guilty. Luke 23:39-43 gives us the conversation that happens here. One of the thieves owns his sin, the other doesn't. The one who doesn't looks at Jesus and says, "Aren't You the Christ? Save Yourself and us!"

Jesus could have said, "Literally in process, dude." But He doesn't. Before He can say anything, the thief on the other side of Jesus snaps, "Don't you fear God since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

Even in this thief's pain, in the destruction of his own body... he recognizes Jesus for Who He is. Hanging on the cross, he recognizes the Son of God. Because this is what he says next: "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

Jesus is busy, right? He's taking every sin of every person from the beginning of Time itself clear to the end of it... on His own shoulders. His death isn't just a normal crucifixion. He's dying for the purpose of making things right between us -- you, me, the thieves, every person who ever lived, every person who has ever accepted and will ever accept this free, amazing gift -- and His Father. He could have grunted and looked away from the thief. He could have drowned in His own pain.

He doesn't. "I tell you the truth," He says. Here's a statement of fact. Believe it, because it's the truth. "Today you will be with Me in paradise."

He's made the thief brand new. He and the thief together are enduring the meltdown of their physical bodies, and through that process... Jesus is making the sinner brand new. Today you will be with Me in paradise.

Back to John 19:23-24: "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 'Let's not tear it,' they said to one another. 'Let's decide by lot who will get it.' This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which said: 'They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.' So this is what the soldiers did."

Every time I try to imagine how to make a seamless tunic... I fail. I've made clothes before, but even if I were to cut a garment from one cloth with a hole in the middle for the head, it still has to be sewn together under the arms -- unless it is a poncho, but descriptions of Biblical undergarments don't match descriptions of ponchos. 

The garment has to be actually woven into a tunic on the loom itself, thread by thread, pressed together, as sleeves and casing take shape. No seams. How in the world?

I hope you see this beautiful picture of the different parts that make up the cloth. Shapeless threads, perhaps even frayed in parts -- separately a meaningless jumble of wool or flax -- together a single, cohesive unit, made brand new by the Weaver of our souls. He alone can take the parts of our lives and make them seamless, fitting so exactly together that there is nothing that separates us from Him.

Through His death on the cross, He makes a way for us to join Him in heaven. "I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise." 

Not even a hint of a division. Not even a hint of a seam. We don't get to bring our sins with us; He removes them from us as far as the east is from the west.

Here's another cool thing. Cool? I mean TOTALLY AWESOME! When Jesus dies, the thickly-woven veil that separates the Holy of holies from the outer courts of the Temple rips in half from top to bottom (not bottom to top. Humans could not do this; this is a hugely symbolic act of God). Any effort to close that veil again will create a seam. 

By Jesus' seamless path to salvation, He makes a division in any other method, any other effort. You and I cannot be good enough, holy enough, pure enough on our own merit. Only through the blood of Jesus, shed for us, can there be a seamless, pure, perfect meeting place -- a true Holy of all holies, the place where we are each made without seams, brand new.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)" (Revelation 19:7-8)

I don't usually say this, but share this if you feel so led. I realize I'm talking largely to the choir here. But if this message blesses you the way it blessed me this morning, share it with the ones you love. Jesus' love is real, and whole, and life-giving, and... well, seamless.