"If anyone comes to me and does not wear a white jacket, and white pants, and a white shirt, and a white tie - yes, even white shoes - he cannot be my disciple."
What if Jesus actually said you couldn't be a Christian unless you dressed in a white suit exactly as he described. How would you respond to it?
Would you recoil from the idea of such a specific and extreme command from Jesus? Would you immediately start to question it, or just ignore it? Would you think Jesus must really have meant something else? Maybe He was speaking figuratively? Or maybe He just meant that your suit had to look 'relatively' white compared to all your other clothes? After all, wearing a completely white suit all the time would just be going too far, it would look stupid, it would be humiliating - and it would take way too much effort to keep clean!
Would you seek to ignore Jesus' obvious extremity by focussing on all the other things he said? Would you seek to follow all Jesus' other commandments, but all the while keep wearing your normal, comfortable non-white suit? Maybe you would just wear a white shirt occasionally, or maybe even white pants, for surely that would be enough? No need to go as far as white shoes - that would be ridiculous!
Maybe you think Jesus will understand when you show up on the Day of Judgement dressed in your stylish, color-coordinated outfit and confidently proclaim that you have followed Him and obeyed all His commandments.
Maybe you don't think He will turn to you and say "Who are you? How did you get in here without a white suit?" (Matthew 22:11-12)
Maybe then you would turn to Jesus and say "Sorry, I didn't think you were serious about that white suit thing! It's not really that important, is it? After all, I love you and I really am one of your disciples! Look at everything I have done in your name!"
Maybe you would find it unthinkable for Jesus to then say to you, "If you really loved me, you would have obeyed all my commands. If you were really one of my disciples you would be wearing a white suit just as I commanded - for, as I said in my Word, unless you wear a white suit you cannot be my disciple. Therefore, everything you have done is worthless because you have not done it in the white suit I told you to wear." (John 14:15, Luke 14:26 modified, Matthew 7:21-23)
Maybe then you would be speechless when you were "tied hand and foot and thrown outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 22:13)
Rather than all that, should you not get down on your knees and pray for God to give you understanding through the Holy Spirit, and ask your Lord to give you a white suit, and the grace, faith, and humility to wear it constantly and keep it clean?
Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple."
(see also Luke 14:27,33 - Mark 8:34-38 - Matthew 6:24)
What if Jesus actually said you couldn't be a Christian unless you dressed in a white suit exactly as he described. How would you respond to it?
Would you recoil from the idea of such a specific and extreme command from Jesus? Would you immediately start to question it, or just ignore it? Would you think Jesus must really have meant something else? Maybe He was speaking figuratively? Or maybe He just meant that your suit had to look 'relatively' white compared to all your other clothes? After all, wearing a completely white suit all the time would just be going too far, it would look stupid, it would be humiliating - and it would take way too much effort to keep clean!
Would you seek to ignore Jesus' obvious extremity by focussing on all the other things he said? Would you seek to follow all Jesus' other commandments, but all the while keep wearing your normal, comfortable non-white suit? Maybe you would just wear a white shirt occasionally, or maybe even white pants, for surely that would be enough? No need to go as far as white shoes - that would be ridiculous!
Maybe you think Jesus will understand when you show up on the Day of Judgement dressed in your stylish, color-coordinated outfit and confidently proclaim that you have followed Him and obeyed all His commandments.
Maybe you don't think He will turn to you and say "Who are you? How did you get in here without a white suit?" (Matthew 22:11-12)
Maybe then you would turn to Jesus and say "Sorry, I didn't think you were serious about that white suit thing! It's not really that important, is it? After all, I love you and I really am one of your disciples! Look at everything I have done in your name!"
Maybe you would find it unthinkable for Jesus to then say to you, "If you really loved me, you would have obeyed all my commands. If you were really one of my disciples you would be wearing a white suit just as I commanded - for, as I said in my Word, unless you wear a white suit you cannot be my disciple. Therefore, everything you have done is worthless because you have not done it in the white suit I told you to wear." (John 14:15, Luke 14:26 modified, Matthew 7:21-23)
Maybe then you would be speechless when you were "tied hand and foot and thrown outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 22:13)
Rather than all that, should you not get down on your knees and pray for God to give you understanding through the Holy Spirit, and ask your Lord to give you a white suit, and the grace, faith, and humility to wear it constantly and keep it clean?
Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple."
(see also Luke 14:27,33 - Mark 8:34-38 - Matthew 6:24)
Blessing to you and your whole household. 
