My question is: why was our Lord against long robes; I mean what’s evil about a piece of cloth anyways? The answer is that there is definitely nothing wrong with those gowns that Pharisees were wearing, in fact, that is what the priests of Israel were supposed to look like. What was wrong was their heart attitude because of those robes; that is where the problem is. That is my area of caution this day. That is, we must be very careful about the modern trend of church regalia and shiny suits thing. Infant my eyes are looking straight at that huge “bishop gown” that goes with a weird hat, a collar, some stick and a huge cross necklace hanging down the chest. Just to re-emphasize, there is no corruption at all with any piece of fabric, but is the spiritual corruption that inevitably happens inside an individual the moment he puts on that uniform. I have thought long and hard about this, and even considered a few positives about it (including identification as a servant of God). Yet, in the end, I could not help it but note these concerning things about church gowns and robs.
A false illusion of spirituality.
Believe it or not, there are some well-meaning souls who believe that once they put on that weird bishop crown, something happens in the “spiritual realm” and they all of a sudden become such a super-anointed man who is so high in the heavenly rank. While in reality, as Jesus pointed out, the person is the same sinner that he was before; just a white-washed tomb. That is dangerous for the soul of that man, and for those under his care. It’s the same thing with uniforms and yes, suits too. People think that a uniform is somehow connected to the purity of the heart. How wrong! True spirituality, dear friends, is found in Christ and through Him alone. Not by wearing a bright-colored robe but by repentance and simple faith in Christ. Therefore, take heed lest you lose that which is genuine by holding onto some religious gown. And let’s face it, are these gowns ever made for God? Definitely not! Notice again our Lord’s description of the Pharisees: “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments (Mat 23:5).” Therefore, let’s all be weary lest we seek after long garments, collars and designer suits; just to impress men and so they can have high regards of us.
Unnecessary distraction
It took me years in my preaching ministry to ever get used to wearing suits; especially very colorful ones. The major reason was that I always felt like that would divert people’s attention from my message to my clothing; from the Redeemer to my personality. Indeed, you can rightly scold me for being over-critical about such small matters. Yet, I believe there is some good lesson that can be derived from that. That is, it’s true that what you wear in front of the congregation matters. People tend to have more focus on that ordination robe, I mean on that fashion suit than they do on the overall message of that day. Hence it's my opinion that we must labour much as ministers of God, to reduce unnecessary distractions as much as we can, so that our people will not be hindered from the simplicity of Christ through our glamour and glitter. Do you get my point?
A love for titles
It seems that these long robes and uniforms are birds of the same feathers with a love for titles. This is when men are no longer satisfied with having “Pastor” next to their name, and then they add Apostle, then Prophet, then Bishop, then Overseer, then Arch-Bishop, and then Emeritius and God knows what else. Exactly like those Pharisees who loved the best seats in the synagogue and nice lofty greetings when they walked among the public (Mat 23:6). All that is a bad sign. It proves a spirit of pride among our spiritual leaders; that they are more concerned about receiving honor from men, than they do with simple and humble godliness that is precious in the sight of God.
Let me end this way. My major point is not that it is a sin to wear a collar, or some church garment so that one can be identified as a vessel of the Lord, but I just wanted to caution – not condemn – about the spiritual peril that those kinds of ornaments bring to the soul, just as our Lord warned the religious leaders of His day. Ultimately, would it not be better to keep the simplicity of Christ in mind, including the way we dress for ministry? So that even innocent souls will not be distracted from the Gospel message.
Sinothi Ncube
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