Mustard Seed

Dirty Clothes

Many years ago while I was a seminary student, I knew a man who told me about a strange dream that he had. In his dream he saw himself standing in front of a courthouse, and there standing before the courthouse door stood Jesus, holding a clipboard and wearing a grim expression.

Without looking up, Jesus read from the clipboard: "Theft: 8,425." (I don't remember the actual number -- no matter. It was a lot.)

My friend was puzzled, until he saw Jesus reach down, pick up a large paint brush from a bucket of bright red paint by his feet, and spread a swatch of red paint on my friend's clothes.

Jesus then returned the brush to the paint can, and looked again at the clipboard. "Adultery: 52,682."

"No way! Never!" my friend answered. "I have always been faithful to my wife."

Jesus ignored him, picked up the paint brush, and spread another red swatch on him, as my friend remember what Jesus had said in the Sermon on the Mount. "Anyone who looks on a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Guilty!

Next it was "Murder: 1,742." Again my friend protested, while he was further adorned with red paint. But he knew the accusation was true. Jesus had said, "Anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." (Matthew 5.22, 28)

Jesus went through all Ten Commandments, and declared my friend guilty of violating each one many times over. Then He put down the clipboard and turned to my friend and said, "Are you ready to face the Judge? Or do you want an attorney?" My friend nodded.

Jesus proceeded to unbutton my friend's paint-stained clothes, take them off, and lay them aside on the ground. Then Jesus took off His own pure white robe and put it on my friend. Finally, Jesus put my friend's stained clothing on Himself.

The court room doors swung open, and then both went in. The Judge looked at my friend and announced, "I find you NOT GUILTY!"

My friend's dream beautifully illustrates the central message of the Bible: "God made Christ who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5.21). "Christ Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we can die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2.24)

A few months after my friend told me his strange dream, I was surprised to find one very much like it in the Bible --

Then the Lord showed me the high priest Jeshua. He was standing in front of the angel of the Lord. Satan was standing to the right of Jeshua. He was there to bring charges against the high priest...

Jeshua was wearing clothes that were very dirty. The angel spoke to those who were standing near him. He said, "Take his dirty clothes off."

He said to Jeshua, "I have taken your sin away. I will put fine clothes on you..."

"High priest Jeshua, pay attention! I want you other priests who are sitting with Jeshua to listen also. All of you men are signs of things to come. I am going to bring my servant the Branch [Messiah]... And I will remove the sin of this land in one day." (Zechariah 3.1-9 NIrV)