Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a fascinating, and a true story.
Yep, it is! My friend Gary told me this story after his visit to New York City. He had been there on business and since his flight wasn’t until the next day, he decided to use the rest of the afternoon to sightsee around downtown Manhattan. After his last business appointment, he went back to his hotel, left his sport coat on the bed, and hit the sidewalk in his slacks and short-sleeved shirt—no frills, nothing fancy, just casual dress for walking the streets and seeing the sights. By late afternoon, Gary decided. ‘Hey – why not have dinner at a fancy-schmancy restaurant?’ After all, it wasn’t every day he traveled to New York City! He got out his iPhone and Googled the nearest five-star restaurant. Great! It was only a couple of blocks away. He made a quick call and—what do you know—he was able to make a reservation!
A few minutes later Gary walked through the door of the elegant restaurant and was greeted warmly by the maître d’, but then he was gently pulled aside. The maître d’ whispered, "Sir, I am sorry to inform you, but you cannot enter without the proper attire. Coat and tie are required." Unbeknownst to my short-sleeved friend, the upscale New York restaurant had strict rules. He glanced wantonly at the dining area with its mahogany walls, the crystal, the linen tablecloths and candles and, of course, the exceptional menu, and then he turned to leave.
But that’s when the maître d' gestured toward the coat check area and said to Gary, "Sir, although we cannot violate our code, we can help you meet it. May we provide this for you?" he said, holding up a medium-sized jacket and tie. Gary was, frankly, surprised and he confided to me later that, at first, the restaurant's rules miffed him, but his attitude changed when he saw how the management bent over backward to make provisions for those who could not meet their requirements. As Gary slipped into his borrowed clothes—that jacket and tie—he was profusely thankful. The thoughtful gesture not only ennobled the maître d' and his staff, but made my friend respect the restaurant code all the more.
You know, Gary’s experience is such a great illustration of Colossians chapter 2 where it says, “God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” I love that verse. Because it basically says that God did not abolish the written code, or even bend it so that we could slide into heaven sideways. No. Through Christ, he honored it. He fulfilled it. Through Christ, he met all the regulations of the written code – regulations that exposed our desperate need and disqualified us from entering into the banquet halls of heaven.
Revelation chapter 19 says, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" But the banquet has an important requirement: We must be "clothed in righteousness." It's the written code, reflecting the highest of standards. It’s impossible for us to be allowed into that banquet, dressed in flesh and blood as we are. Yet rather than bend the standard to accommodate us (another impossibility) God takes an even higher, more glorious road. He ennobles Himself by providing the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a covering. In darker moments, our flesh may resent the requirements of the law—it's understandable to feel that way. But our generous God has taken it upon Himself to provide for us, without compromising the written code. Friend, you and I don’t deserve a place at the banquet, but thankfully, God has a closet full of the most appropriate garments—clothes of righteousness—he made a way through Jesus Christ.
© Joni and Friends, 2013
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