DAY 22

CLOTHED

ROB MCCORKLE, PASTOR, AUTHOR & EVANGELIST

There are several places in the Gospels where Jesus is very emphatic with His disciples. One such place is in Luke 24:49:

And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

The statement “you are to stay” is an emphatic command. Jesus is not making a casual statement. It’s like He’s grabbing the disciples by their shirts and telling them to pay attention. Stay in the city, He said. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t go fishing, back to your livelihoods, or on a long trip. Don’t plant vineyards, harvest your wheat, or plow a field. And most certainly, don’t attempt to do ministry. Go back to the city and stay, which in this context means remain in one single place without moving.

Why? What was the big deal about abiding in the city? The promise of the Father was going to be poured out; namely, the Holy Spirit. This promise fulfilled the essence of the New Covenant. The outside God of the Old Covenant was coming to dwell inside believers, and their life and ministries would be forever changed. The way Jesus described the Holy Spirit is significant. He said the disciples were going to be clothed (enduo) with power from on high.

This verb is used 28 times in the New Testament and there are three uses of being clothed. First, there is a literal meaning. In many places in the New Testament, this verb is used for people putting on garments, armor, or tunics. The disciples would have understood the meaning of this word, yet they were about to put on something supernatural. Unlike a tunic or cloak, they were to wait until they were clothed with the Holy Spirit. 

Second, there is a cultural meaning. In ancient Jewish culture, clothing symbolized identity, status, or authority. When the prodigal son returned home, the father gave him the best robe. Many scholars point out the word for best means a robe of honor, authority, or influence. Most likely, the father gave the returning prodigal hisown robe to indicate his repentant son was redeemed back into a place of status. He was no longer a servant among pigs, but a son with status.

The Holy Spirit clothing the disciples was a symbol of authority. But it was the Father’s authorization, not their own efforts or achievements. When Jesus told the disciples to remain in the city until they were clothed, it was the same as saying “wait until you are authorized” by my Father. God was about to wrap a new identity around the disciples and all believers through the distribution of the Holy Spirit.

Third, there is a theological meaning. When the disciples were clothed with the Holy Spirit, they would be endowed with spiritual qualities. Everything about their lives was about to change for the good through the activity of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit would supernaturally explode through the disciples, turning their ordinary efforts into extraordinary results. While the verb enduo simply means to put on a garment, Jesus was describing what was about to occur when the Spirit clothed them. 

Throughout the New Testament, we discover several amazing theological results that occur when clothed with the Spirit. In Colossians 3:12–13, Paul said,

…put on [be clothed] a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

The Holy Spirit enables us to manifest the character of Christ, even to the point of forgiving others in the same manner that God did when He offered forgiveness to mankind. We can’t discipline ourselves into this kind of behavior. It doesn’t come by self-effort; it is the result of being endowed with the Spirit.

In another passage, we read,

Put on [be clothed] the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

We’re not only clothed with the character of Christ, but this passage indicates that we have the protection of Christ. Paul said we’re clothed with the full armor which means from head to toe. Everything about our lives is spiritually protected through the activity of the Holy Spirit. 

Some people pray asking God to garb them with the various pieces of armor that Paul identified. That’s not wrong, and if it helps you stand against the demonic then keep doing it. However, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have everything needed to stand against demonic schemes. The Holy Spirit is our armor. We’re empowered to stand firm, which means to hold our position of victory and not give up territory.

So, the clothing of the Spirit is the character of Christ and the protective armor. But Jesus indicated in Luke 24:49 that when the disciples were clothed with the Spirit, they would be given power (dunamis). This kind of power is supernatural. It’s not generated by mere human strength and effort. One expositor described dunamis as manifesting influence over reality in a supernatural manner. This kind of power is transformative. Jesus said this power would enable disciples to be witnesses everywhere they went—even to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The power of the Holy Spirit would enable the disciples to share the gospel with boldness. It would enable them to cast out demons, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and even raise the dead if need be. And in fact, they did all of that and more in the book of Acts. The power of the Spirit gave them perseverance and courage in the face of danger. The power of the Spirit was foundational to the ministry of the disciples and the early church. The Bible says,

And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and abundant grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33

This is why Jesus commanded the disciples to wait, remain, stay, and go nowhere until they were properly clothed. They needed the Holy Spirit’s covering. They needed the Spirit’s character, armor, and power. And the same is true for us. The Holy Spirit has been made available to all believers. How much more will our Father give us the Spirit when we ask (Luke 11:13). Are you properly clothed?

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, clothe me with Your presence, Your character, and Your power. Wrap me in the identity of Christ and equip me to stand firm against the enemy. May my life reflect Your compassion, strength, and boldness as I live as Your witness. Amen.