Cleansed by God

Some people (often single males), rely on the "sniff test" to ascertain whether their clothes are clean enough to wear. According to Reader's Digest, 70 percent of the soil on your clothing is invisible. Your clothes may look clean, but they still need to be washed. Even if they pass the sniff test!

Zechariah’s fourth vision involved the high priest Joshua. He had been the high priest sixteen years earlier when the exiles returned from captivity in Babylon. In a shocking image, Zechariah saw Joshua clothed in priestly garments spattered with human excrement. Satan stood on his right side to accuse him. This picture probably did not reflect Joshua’s personal character so much as it portrayed the condition of those he represented (v. 8). It is certainly true that even the works of God’s best servants are flawed by sin. In a way, this disturbing portrait of Joshua is a picture of us as well. However, in a beautifully symbolic act, the interpreting angel commanded that Joshua’s filthy garments be replaced and announced that his sin was forgiven (vv. 4–5).

This vision not only anticipates the gospel’s promise of a new nature but also foreshadows the coming of the great high priest Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews describes the problem faced by Israel’s ordinary priests. Every priest was a sinner just like those he represented. The high priest had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins, as well as the sins of the people (Heb. 5:3). But Jesus Christ had no sin (John 8:46). Because of this, He was able to be both the perfect High Priest and the perfect sacrifice when He sacrificed Himself “once for all” (Heb. 7:27). This transforming power of Christ’s forgiveness is compared to a change of clothes in several places in the New Testament (Rom. 13:13–14; Eph. 4:22–25; Col. 3:10–12).

Pray with Us

Please uphold in prayer Samuel Choy, chief marketing officer, as he heads Moody’s strategic marketing initiatives and expands the ways we interact with the local communities and public at large.

BY Dr. John Koessler

John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.