The verdict had been given. The time for execution had come. Jesus was led by the soldiers to Golgotha, which was outside of the city of Jerusalem. Before they nailed Him to the cross they completely disrobed Him. This was their custom of treatment of those to be crucified. They wanted the crucified one to be exposed to the greatest shame possible, hanging on the cross completely naked. His clothing was a legacy for the soldiers. Jesus likely had five pieces of clothing, a head piece, undergarment, girdle (belt), sandals and the outer garment also called a robe. Imagine, that is all that Jesus, the son of God, owned of this whole world. The four parts were easily divided among the soldiers (likely four of them). For the undergarment they cast lots, because it should not be torn. Even Jesus' clothing was taken away from Him. We often make much of his "swaddling clothes" in the manger, but we should not forget what is more impor­tant, that when He died, they took all away from Him.

Little did the soldiers realize what they were doing. It would have meaning for the church of all ages that in physical shame He was exposed before the people, but before God He was exposed spiritually as THE naked sinner.

To understand what really took place here we have to go back to Genesis, to Adam and Eve in Paradise. In their state of perfection they wore no clothing. They didn't need any, neither had they any sense of shame. When sin came and they became conscious of it, they evidently felt their guilt. This in some way was also reflected in their embarrassment by their nude bodies. They felt exposed in their guilt, and therefore ashamed. They covered themselves with aprons made of leaves. They apparently also felt that this was not a good covering, because when God came to them in the evening of the day they hid themselves. Their kind of clothing did not cover their shame before God. We know the rest of the history. God in His mercy gave them better clothing to cover their shame! He gave them animal skins. Adam and Eve now had clothing because some other creature's blood had been shed. We wear clothing for different reasons also, but the first reason is that our shame has to be covered.

On Golgotha we see the second Adam, the head of all God's people. He is the sinless One, but reckoned to be a sinner on our account. He will take all the sins of all the elect of all ages upon Himself. And when God asked Him, in effect, "Adam where are you?" He could not hide, but was nailed to the cross. He didn't want to hide behind anything. "As a lamb led to the slaughter," He was led to death. Willingly, out of love, He hung naked, with all of the sins of all His people exposed in and through Him before the righteous God. Therefore Jesus had to be unclothed. This spiritual exposure must have been infinitely more painful than the physical shame, for in it He made atonement for all our sins. They are now all covered by His blood. Through faith in Him, as we confess our sins, we can be assured that we will never be exposed before God as naked sinners.

The Bible speaks of man being exposed and judged in the last day, also called the day of judgment. Paul says that then we must all appear before that judgment seat (2 Corinthians 5:10). One version has it that then we will all stand before Him without any pretense. Another, that then our lives will be laid open. Already in the Old Testament, it is said that God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil. We also read "that there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be made known." In our Confession of Faith, Article 37, we read that then the books, that is to say, the consciences, shall be opened, and that the dead will be judged according to what they have done in this world. Also that all men shall give account of every idle word spoken, which in this world is counted amusement and jest, and that the secrets and hypocrisy of every man will be disclosed and laid open before all.

Try to imagine what this will mean, first of all for the wicked. All their deeds will be exposed as well as all the motives, lusts and desires. Thoughts that have never come out in the open will then be made known. Sin will be exposed in all of its corruption, from the deepest secret motive to the most atrocious and godless deed. Who of us would want to be so exposed before other people, even our friends? To be exposed before God will be infinitely worse. The Lord will judge men according to all that they will have done and ac­cording to what they are in their sins. No wonder that this is called the great and terrible day of judgment.

What will happen to the righteous? They will also be exposed. We will be judged according to the good we will have done, even though every good work (done by the Spirit of Christ) will still be imperfect, tainted with sin. Doesn't this scare every one of us? Even the best Christian must admit that when he takes inventory of himself, considering his motives and lusts, he still is a big sinner? The godly apostle Paul says that he is (present tense) the "chief" of sinners. Doesn't every one of us feel at times that compared with others we are worse than anybody else? And that is all going to be laid open in the great day? It will also be revealed that these same sinners, as children of God, daily confessed their sins, pled for forgiveness for the sake of Christ's sacrifice. The result will be that all those sinful Christians will then stand righteous before God, completely covered by His atoning blood. How great will Christ's sacrifice then appear to be, the payment of Him who hung naked on the cross that we might be covered forever.

If we cover our sins now (not confessing them) the Lord will uncover us completely in that day. But if we now uncover ourselves (confessing all of our sins) the Lord will completely cover us in that final day.

How fitting to sing:

Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling,
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me Savior, or I die.

In heaven after all of our "dirty sinful clothes" will have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, they will come out perfectly clean. And we will be dressed in white robes, in a radiancy we have never seen before. So perfect and clean we will be through our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!