The Emperor's New Clothes
"Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.” Revelation 16:15
In the story, a very vain emperor, who loves to parade around in pomp and circumstance, is hoodwinked by two swindlers pretending to be clothing designers. The emperor, in his quest to always have the newest and best of everything to draw attention to himself, is snookered into believing that the clothes being designed for him are made from a fabric so fine that it is invisible to anyone unfit for their position or "hopelessly stupid". When in fact, these designers have made no clothes at all. The swindlers merely mime dressing the emperor. The emperor then marches in procession before all of his loyal subjects who, out of fear that they might be found unfit or stupid, say nothing while the emperor parades in all his royal nakedness before them.
Then, as all the loyal subjects are busy murmuring about the beauty of the emperor's new garments, a child shouts out in all the unspoiled and brutal honesty only a child can, "He's not wearing any clothes!"
This emperor didn't have his clothes ready, as Revelation 16:15 encourages us.
Do you?
Pride was the emperor’s downfall. He was struttin’ around like a peacock, when really he was just as naked as a jaybird.
What about you? Are you dressed and ready if Jesus were to come today?
We are all more transparent than we realize. The things we criticize in others are often the very things we do the most--and we are worse offenders than those we like to critique. Have you ever noticed that?
One day, if we keep watch, dressed and ready for our Jesus, we will have new clothes--clothes of righteousness, the kind that never wear out. And, this is no swindle. He will clothe us more beautifully than the peacock, and there will be no struttin’ necessary.
Do you remember the story of The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen?
In the story, a very vain emperor, who loves to parade around in pomp and circumstance, is hoodwinked by two swindlers pretending to be clothing designers. The emperor, in his quest to always have the newest and best of everything to draw attention to himself, is snookered into believing that the clothes being designed for him are made from a fabric so fine that it is invisible to anyone unfit for their position or "hopelessly stupid". When in fact, these designers have made no clothes at all. The swindlers merely mime dressing the emperor. The emperor then marches in procession before all of his loyal subjects who, out of fear that they might be found unfit or stupid, say nothing while the emperor parades in all his royal nakedness before them.
Then, as all the loyal subjects are busy murmuring about the beauty of the emperor's new garments, a child shouts out in all the unspoiled and brutal honesty only a child can, "He's not wearing any clothes!"
This emperor didn't have his clothes ready, as Revelation 16:15 encourages us.
Do you?
Pride was the emperor’s downfall. He was struttin’ around like a peacock, when really he was just as naked as a jaybird.
What about you? Are you dressed and ready if Jesus were to come today?
We are all more transparent than we realize. The things we criticize in others are often the very things we do the most--and we are worse offenders than those we like to critique. Have you ever noticed that?
One day, if we keep watch, dressed and ready for our Jesus, we will have new clothes--clothes of righteousness, the kind that never wear out. And, this is no swindle. He will clothe us more beautifully than the peacock, and there will be no struttin’ necessary.
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