The armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20 NIV:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

As a child I loved stories. I never got tired of listening to the bedtime stories my mom read to me. The most famous and the best fairy tale writer ever born is Mr Hans Christian Andersen whose "The Little Mermaid,” "The Nightingale,” "The Snow Queen,” "The Ugly Duckling,” and "The Little Match Girl" just simply fascinated me. But there was one story which made me uneasy and nervous. That is "The Emperor's New Clothes.” 

The tale concerns an emperor who adored fancy new clothing. He spent vast amounts of money on his wardrobe, neglecting the affairs of his kingdom. One day, two conmen arrived in the capital, claiming to be master weavers. They promised to create the most splendid garments, which would be invisible to anyone who was incompetent or stupid. The emperor, eager to possess such unique attire, hired the conmen immediately. They set up their looms and pretended to weave, though there was nothing on them. Ministers and the emperor himself visited the weavers to check on their progress. Despite seeing empty looms, they all pretended to admire the nonexistent fabric, fearing they would be seen as incompetent or stupid.

Eventually, the conmen announced that the clothes were ready. They pretended dressing the emperor in the invisible garments, and he proudly paraded through the city. The townspeople, not wanting to appear foolish, went along with the pretense, praising the emperor's new clothes.

Suddenly, a child exclaimed, "The emperor isn't wearing anything at all!" The people then realized that they had all been fooled. Though embarrassed, the emperor continued his procession, now aware of the truth but unwilling to admit his folly.

As a child I found this fairy tale uncomfortable, because my clear question was the same as every child’s would be: How could the adults NOT see? Now, after many years, I very well know why they DID NOT. 

These days I find uneasy the passage about the armor of God from Ephesians 6. It bothers me.

Last Sunday was called dominica in albis depositis, or “Sunday of the white clothes taken off.” Traditionally Easter was the time for the baptism and during that time the baptized were dressed in white. After wearing the white garment for the entire "white week,” the baptized now dressed in ordinary everyday clothing again. Their mission was to bear witness in their daily lives of the resurrected Jesus and the fulfillment of God's promise in Him.

Now, what bothers me is the idea that since we are baptized, should we really take off our white garment and start to prepare for war? Is it really armor we need to dress in? The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit? Isn’t it so that the people who have war in front of them are afraid? How could the people of God be afraid?

Prof. Naomi Wood from Kansas State University has said: "Perhaps the truth of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' is NOT that the child's truth is mercifully free of adult corruption, BUT that it recognizes the terrifying possibility that whatever words we may use to clothe our fears, the fabric cannot protect us from them."

My dear friends. There are many terrifying things happening around us and amongst us. Fear is more than understandable. But know when the fabric fails to protect us, Jesus Christ never will. “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” 

So, let’s pray for each other, that whenever we speak, words may be given us so that we will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. Let’s pray that we may declare it fearlessly, as we should.