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Clean and Unclean

 

     I was wounded. My flesh had been torn and ripped from my body. I was naked and I was thirsty and hungry. I came out of the woods in my stumbling to find safety. I entered a clearing and found I stood before two gentlemen. The first one was clean and well looking and carrying a large bible. The second looked rather scruffy like myself. It seemed as though his wounds were the same as mine only now healed.

 

     I begged for water and food and for someone to tend to my wounds.

 

     I asked for water. The first extended to me a cup to drink, but it was a cup of vinegar. The second extended a cup and it was full of very fresh and cooling spring water.

 

     I asked for food. The first gave me a loaf of bread, but as I thought to eat of it I found it was full of worms. The second extended to me, what seemed like bread that was glowing with light.

 

     I asked for a coat because I was naked and cold. The first said to me, “Listen – this is how you should have faith that you should believe God for all your needs.” He had a coat and behind him I saw he had a house that was full of coats, but he would not give me one. The second was still without a coat himself, but as I asked for a coat an angel came to give him a coat for himself as he was also cold, but he took it from the angel and offered it to me – saying, “It is best I give this to you to be warm as my love to do so will… in itself sustain me and keep me warm”.

 

     My wounds were deep and they were bleeding and I asked that someone might attend to my wounds. The first said, “Where is your faith that you are not healed already” and the second said, “behold, I have received healing for myself… let me but embrace you and hold you close to myself and what healing I have received may also touch you. And then he grabbed me and held me close and embraced me so that I might partake of the same healing that had healed him. He simply held me in an embrace and he said no words to me, but as he held me I was healed and I was restored.

 

     The first then said – “Do not let him touch you – he is dirty and he is filthy, he will defile you if you touch him” but I said to him… “Though he may be dirty and filthy as you say… I say this to you… by his touch I am being healed”.

 

     I asked the second man… “Are you a holy man?” and he said “NO”… “I am a man as yourself and I am not holy”. I asked the first man, “Are you holy” and he said, “Yes, I am a holy man”.

 

     I asked them both, “Why have you come to me? They both said… “That you might be healed and be saved.”

 

     To the first I asked… “How then shall I be healed and be saved?” – He said, “I have seen much and I have learned much and I now know how to make you whole if you will follow after me”. Of the second I asked, “How then shall I be healed and saved?” – The second said, “I have no way to either save you or to heal you, but what salvation and healing I have received I shall share with you”. “I can, with my touch, give to you what I have received for myself.”

 

     The first said to me, “Do not trust this man, he is dirty and he is not clean – you cannot trust him to help you”. Again I said, “How then shall I be healed and made clean?” The first then brought out a “cloak” and said, “Put this on” and so I did. When I put it on I saw that, before others I was as clean as was the first man. I was seen as clean and healed to others, but as I looked down upon myself I was still bleeding and had wounds and I was filthy. I said to the first, “Others see that I am clean and healed, but I do not see I am for myself”. The first said, “The cloak will save you… as others see you clean so then will God see you clean and receive you”.

 

     Then the second man said to me, “Put this on.” and it was a mantle… not appealing whatsoever to the eye. I did not want to put it on… it had no appeal to it, but I was naked and wounded and I needed to be covered. I then put on this mantle the second man gave me. It was not appealing and had no color or threads that one might adore, but as I put it on I looked down at myself and I was clean and my wounds were healed. Others looked at me and said, “He is poor and has nothing good to wear, but I looked again down at myself and I was clean and I was healed”.

 

     I went to others I thought to be my brothers, but they said to me, “You are not welcome here, because you are not arrayed in fine linen as we and you will defile our house. You should go and find fellowship with the lepers as they might receive you, but we cannot, as you do not appear to be clean.

 

     I looked to the second man and asked, “How is this?” “How can this be?” He said, “They also came to me one time and asked – “Do you desire to appear clean?” I said… no, I do not desire to appear clean… I want to BE clean. They gave me the same cloak to put on whereby I would seem to all others to be clean and healed and they said as long as I wore that cloak they would receive me and so would many others, but I could not wear it as every time I looked down upon myself I still saw I was naked, wounded and still dirty”. I told them, I cannot wear the clothes you give me to wear”. They said to me, “Then… you shall walk the earth naked and have nothing… you will be before all men as dirty and filthy and naked”. So then I said… “Then I shall be so… for unless I can see myself as not naked then I will not receive”. I desire to be clothed and not naked, but I myself must know that I am not naked else it is nothing to me. Then again the first man said to me… you must be clothed before the people and then you will no longer be naked. Then I said, “If I remain naked to myself then I am not clothed before any man… I remain naked”. I then left and I went out into the dessert and there I wandered for some time. The heat of the day parched me and the vultures tormented me day and night as though taunting me as a failure. Then, one day as I walked along, I found in the sand a cloak. It was of no reputation as beautiful or appealing, but when I found it… it had written within it, my name… as though it belonged to me. So then I put it on… and for the first time I looked down and I saw that I was no longer dirty, or filthy… nor was I wounded anymore or bleeding. Since, I have kept what I found in the dessert… it is the mantle of healing God provided for me. Those of the first man told me also that if I followed them I would be healed and I would gain acceptance and men would honor me, but as I first tried to follow them I never became healed or clean. They only promised me I would be and every day they would come to me and require I give them more so the promise would be fulfilled that I would be healed and clothed. I gave them all my money and all I had. When I had finished giving them my earnings then they required that I deliver to them those I loved, but never had I come to be healed or clean. I was without hope and they discouraged me greatly and I finally left them and accepted that I am not worthy of God to love me and I then went into the dessert to die, but in the dessert I did not die… I found life, for in the dessert I found the Lord I sought and He gave me this cloak I now wear. There is no appeal to my mantle for men to see, but… its power makes me clean before God and myself and it heals my wounds as I wear it.

 

     I offer to you what mantle I myself now wear. Take upon yourself this mantle of no reputation. It is not comely and will not attract men to you to ask where they may acquire the same. They will, in fact, avoid the desire of that which you may wear. There is no grandeur in this mantle that men would seek it. It is, however, a healing and a cleansing mantle.

 

     The first man then rose up in rage against the second and said, “Do not listen to him… he is not from God… he seeks to keep you unclean and to wrap you in garments that are not holy for they are not comely”. “Surely… if God would wrap you in holiness would it not also be very comely in appearance?” “Do not go after him… he seeks to deceive you. You must follow after us and we will clothe you with fine linen that men might marvel at what you wear.” I said to him, “I do not care what men may marvel at what I wear… I seek to be clean and that my wounds may be tended to”. The second man then said to me… “Come… I will show you healing and I will show you cleansing.” So then I went with him. He brought me to waters that were pure and told me to wash in them. Naked I stood and filthy, but I entered the waters he brought me to and immediately my wounds began to heal and immediately I was clean. I did not have to scrub myself, as the moment I entered the waters I was made clean. I came up out of the waters and I was clean and the mantle I was given was called “humility” and it kept me clean so that I may not again be made filthy.

 

     We then returned to the first man and others of his company to share what the waters could do and that the mantle was precious to keep us clean, but he said, “I AM CLEAN, what need have I of you?” As he scurried around and was preaching to us how he became a holy man a branch caught his robe and lifted it up… and underneath I could see he was not only filthy, but he was decaying as a corpse would decay and was a stench as is a corpse. In shock I said to him, “You are corrupt and you are as filthy as a corpse”, but he said to me… “Be rebuked you evil man… for I am covered in righteousness… can you not see the beauty of my robes?” “And you… you still seek to wear that mantle of no esteem?” “Why do you wear such a thing?” No one will welcome you… no one will desire to hear your voice… no one will open their doors to you.” I said to him, “Sir, I came that I might be cleansed in my own eyes. I did not come so that I may be cleansed only in the eyes of others. Again he said to me, “Leave those who have taken you into their company… they have nothing to offer you”. “They are of no esteem and can give you no place in the world”. Come with us and wear brilliant garments as we and take your place in the world. There is made a place for you if you will only fill it and men will honor you and come to you and they will seek out your counsel and you will be a wise man among the people. You will prosper and they will bring and give gifts to you because of your wisdom and you will live in comfort and your trials shall cease. Then he said to me, “Is it God that desires you to suffer?” or may we not show you that God does not ask of you to suffer, but He says to you that you should prosper and we will show you the way.” “Listen to us”, he said, “We know God… can you not look at us and know that we know God? Look at how we are arrayed… are we not arrayed in the splendor that is from God? How can you not look at us and know that we are from God?” But I said to him, “I want to be clean” and he said, “But we are clean… can you not see this?” I said, “But as I saw the branch raise up your robe I saw that underneath you are not clean”. And he said to me… “I am clean… men see that I am clean… you see the garments I wear… how magnificent they are… they make me clean”. I said… “I am not at peace until I can look down upon myself and see that I am clean and it does not matter to me that other men may think I am clean… I want to know I am clean. Then he said to me… depart from us for you are a troublemaker and we want no fellowship with you”.

Clean and Unclean

 

     I was wounded. My flesh had been torn and ripped from my body. I was naked and I was thirsty and hungry. I came out of the woods in my stumbling to find safety. I entered a clearing and found I stood before two gentlemen. The first one was clean and well looking and carrying a large bible. The second looked rather scruffy like myself. It seemed as though his wounds were the same as mine only now healed.

 

     I begged for water and food and for someone to tend to my wounds.

 

     I asked for water. The first extended to me a cup to drink, but it was a cup of vinegar. The second extended a cup and it was full of very fresh and cooling spring water.

 

     I asked for food. The first gave me a loaf of bread, but as I thought to eat of it I found it was full of worms. The second extended to me, what seemed like bread that was glowing with light.

 

     I asked for a coat because I was naked and cold. The first said to me, “Listen – this is how you should have faith that you should believe God for all your needs.” He had a coat and behind him I saw he had a house that was full of coats, but he would not give me one. The second was still without a coat himself, but as I asked for a coat an angel came to give him a coat for himself as he was also cold, but he took it from the angel and offered it to me – saying, “It is best I give this to you to be warm as my love to do so will… in itself sustain me and keep me warm”.

 

     My wounds were deep and they were bleeding and I asked that someone might attend to my wounds. The first said, “Where is your faith that you are not healed already” and the second said, “behold, I have received healing for myself… let me but embrace you and hold you close to myself and what healing I have received may also touch you. And then he grabbed me and held me close and embraced me so that I might partake of the same healing that had healed him. He simply held me in an embrace and he said no words to me, but as he held me I was healed and I was restored.

 

     The first then said – “Do not let him touch you – he is dirty and he is filthy, he will defile you if you touch him” but I said to him… “Though he may be dirty and filthy as you say… I say this to you… by his touch I am being healed”.

 

     I asked the second man… “Are you a holy man?” and he said “NO”… “I am a man as yourself and I am not holy”. I asked the first man, “Are you holy” and he said, “Yes, I am a holy man”.

 

     I asked them both, “Why have you come to me? They both said… “That you might be healed and be saved.”

 

     To the first I asked… “How then shall I be healed and be saved?” – He said, “I have seen much and I have learned much and I now know how to make you whole if you will follow after me”. Of the second I asked, “How then shall I be healed and saved?” – The second said, “I have no way to either save you or to heal you, but what salvation and healing I have received I shall share with you”. “I can, with my touch, give to you what I have received for myself.”

     The first said to me, “Do not trust this man, he is dirty and he is not clean – you cannot trust him to help you”. Again I said, “How then shall I be healed and made clean?” The first then brought out a “cloak” and said, “Put this on” and so I did. When I put it on I saw that, before others I was as clean as was the first man. I was seen as clean and healed to others, but as I looked down upon myself I was still bleeding and had wounds and I was filthy. I said to the first, “Others see that I am clean and healed, but I do not see I am for myself”. The first said, “The cloak will save you… as others see you clean so then will God see you clean and receive you”.

 

     Then the second man said to me, “Put this on.” and it was a mantle… not appealing whatsoever to the eye. I did not want to put it on… it had no appeal to it, but I was naked and wounded and I needed to be covered. I then put on this mantle the second man gave me. It was not appealing and had no color or threads that one might adore, but as I put it on I looked down at myself and I was clean and my wounds were healed. Others looked at me and said, “He is poor and has nothing good to wear, but I looked again down at myself and I was clean and I was healed”.

 

     I went to others I thought to be my brothers, but they said to me, “You are not welcome here, because you are not arrayed in fine linen as we and you will defile our house. You should go and find fellowship with the lepers as they might receive you, but we cannot, as you do not appear to be clean.

 

     I looked to the second man and asked, “How is this?” “How can this be?” He said, “They also came to me one time and asked – “Do you desire to appear clean?” I said… no, I do not desire to appear clean… I want to BE clean. They gave me the same cloak to put on whereby I would seem to all others to be clean and healed and they said as long as I wore that cloak they would receive me and so would many others, but I could not wear it as every time I looked down upon myself I still saw I was naked, wounded and still dirty”. I told them, I cannot wear the clothes you give me to wear”. They said to me, “Then… you shall walk the earth naked and have nothing… you will be before all men as dirty and filthy and naked”. So then I said… “Then I shall be so… for unless I can see myself as not naked then I will not receive”. I desire to be clothed and not naked, but I myself must know that I am not naked else it is nothing to me. Then again the first man said to me… you must be clothed before the people and then you will no longer be naked. Then I said, “If I remain naked to myself then I am not clothed before any man… I remain naked”. I then left and I went out into the dessert and there I wandered for some time. The heat of the day parched me and the vultures tormented me day and night as though taunting me as a failure. Then, one day as I walked along, I found in the sand a cloak. It was of no reputation as beautiful or appealing, but when I found it… it had written within it, my name… as though it belonged to me. So then I put it on… and for the first time I looked down and I saw that I was no longer dirty, or filthy… nor was I wounded anymore or bleeding. Since, I have kept what I found in the dessert… it is the mantle of healing God provided for me. Those of the first man told me also that if I followed them I would be healed and I would gain acceptance and men would honor me, but as I first tried to follow them I never became healed or clean. They only promised me I would be and every day they would come to me and require I give them more so the promise would be fulfilled that I would be healed and clothed. I gave them all my money and all I had. When I had finished giving them my earnings then they required that I deliver to them those I loved, but never had I come to be healed or clean. I was without hope and they discouraged me greatly and I finally left them and accepted that I am not worthy of God to love me and I then went into the dessert to die, but in the dessert I did not die… I found life, for in the dessert I found the Lord I sought and He gave me this cloak I now wear. There is no appeal to my mantle for men to see, but… its power makes me clean before God and myself and it heals my wounds as I wear it.

 

     I offer to you what mantle I myself now wear. Take upon yourself this mantle of no reputation. It is not comely and will not attract men to you to ask where they may acquire the same. They will, in fact, avoid the desire of that which you may wear. There is no grandeur in this mantle that men would seek it. It is, however, a healing and a cleansing mantle.

 

     The first man then rose up in rage against the second and said, “Do not listen to him… he is not from God… he seeks to keep you unclean and to wrap you in garments that are not holy for they are not comely”. “Surely… if God would wrap you in holiness would it not also be very comely in appearance?” “Do not go after him… he seeks to deceive you. You must follow after us and we will clothe you with fine linen that men might marvel at what you wear.” I said to him, “I do not care what men may marvel at what I wear… I seek to be clean and that my wounds may be tended to”. The second man then said to me… “Come… I will show you healing and I will show you cleansing.” So then I went with him. He brought me to waters that were pure and told me to wash in them. Naked I stood and filthy, but I entered the waters he brought me to and immediately my wounds began to heal and immediately I was clean. I did not have to scrub myself, as the moment I entered the waters I was made clean. I came up out of the waters and I was clean and the mantle I was given was called “humility” and it kept me clean so that I may not again be made filthy.

 

     We then returned to the first man and others of his company to share what the waters could do and that the mantle was precious to keep us clean, but he said, “I AM CLEAN, what need have I of you?” As he scurried around and was preaching to us how he became a holy man a branch caught his robe and lifted it up… and underneath I could see he was not only filthy, but he was decaying as a corpse would decay and was a stench as is a corpse. In shock I said to him, “You are corrupt and you are as filthy as a corpse”, but he said to me… “Be rebuked you evil man… for I am covered in righteousness… can you not see the beauty of my robes?” “And you… you still seek to wear that mantle of no esteem?” “Why do you wear such a thing?” No one will welcome you… no one will desire to hear your voice… no one will open their doors to you.” I said to him, “Sir, I came that I might be cleansed in my own eyes. I did not come so that I may be cleansed only in the eyes of others. Again he said to me, “Leave those who have taken you into their company… they have nothing to offer you”. “They are of no esteem and can give you no place in the world”. Come with us and wear brilliant garments as we and take your place in the world. There is made a place for you if you will only fill it and men will honor you and come to you and they will seek out your counsel and you will be a wise man among the people. You will prosper and they will bring and give gifts to you because of your wisdom and you will live in comfort and your trials shall cease. Then he said to me, “Is it God that desires you to suffer?” or may we not show you that God does not ask of you to suffer, but He says to you that you should prosper and we will show you the way.” “Listen to us”, he said, “We know God… can you not look at us and know that we know God? Look at how we are arrayed… are we not arrayed in the splendor that is from God? How can you not look at us and know that we are from God?” But I said to him, “I want to be clean” and he said, “But we are clean… can you not see this?” I said, “But as I saw the branch raise up your robe I saw that underneath you are not clean”. And he said to me… “I am clean… men see that I am clean… you see the garments I wear… how magnificent they are… they make me clean”. I said… “I am not at peace until I can look down upon myself and see that I am clean and it does not matter to me that other men may think I am clean… I want to know I am clean. Then he said to me… depart from us for you are a troublemaker and we want no fellowship with you”.

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