The Great Exchange

Scripture Reading: Zechariah 3:4-5

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken our iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

While it is not nor ever has been true that the preacher only works on Sunday, the Lord’s Day is the day for the man of God. While pastoring, I would often rise before the sun, before my sons, before my wife dressed quietly, and slip out of the house of Hanchetts and drive to the Lord’s house to pray, prepare coffee, and make sure things were in order for the day’s services.

One particular Sunday, during the time of the year when the days are short and the nights are long, not wanting to wake Monica, I dressed quietly in the dark. It seemed simple enough. Dark pants, a white dress shirt, a tie, and a jacket aren’t items that one needs to see in the light to know they are mostly coordinated clothing.

After getting ready, I drove through the empty city streets to the church parking lot, unlocked the side door, walked to my office, and turned on the light. It was the first time I had stood under a light all morning. Our bedroom and house, the world outside, the entrance, and the hall of the church had all been dark. Now, for the first time, there in my office, I was exposed to light.

That’s when I saw it. My white shirt wasn’t as white as I assumed it was. There was a sizeable stain conspicuously visible where neither my tie nor my jacket would keep it hidden. I needed to change. I called Monica when I thought she had probably gotten up and asked her to bring me a clean shirt so I could change before church.

In our text, Joshua stands before the Lord in filthy garments. This is the state of every one of us without Christ. Some might consider themselves to be good people. To be fair, if they were to be compared with the average Joe, they might look like extremely upstanding folks. But we aren’t being compared to one another. As Paul said, “Comparing yourselves among yourselves is not wise.”

No. We will all be seen in the blindingly white, holy light of Jesus Christ. Everything else is like examining our lives in a dark room and concluding we aren’t stained by sin. When we come into His presence, like Joshua, it will be evident that we are clothed in iniquity.

Thank God, that Jesus Christ has made a way for us to be saved from this horrible fate. Through His sacrificial death, Jesus removes our filthy, sin-stained garments. But He does more than take our iniquity away. He clothes us in His righteousness.

This is the greatest exchange. He takes our sins and gives us His righteousness. Through Jesus Christ, we can stand in God’s presence without guilt, shame, or condemnation.