 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Why do the disciples put their garments down in front of Jesus as he comes into Jerusalem? Why did Jehu's soldiers do the same for him in 2 Kings 9? A couple of answers are possible:
1) Perhaps there is some sort of parallel between this practice and the scene in Aeschylus' Agamemnon, where Clytemnestra welcomes Agamemnon home from Troy and tempts him to walk over a fabric. This is taken as a kind of blasphemy, Agamemnon in some sense claiming godhead. I suspect the symbolism here has to do with the fact that Agamemnon is no longer walking on the earth. Though he is not elevated in heaven, he is striding across the earth without touching the earth. Perhaps there's something similar in the biblical practice Ethe king is separated from the ground, walking above it.
2) More likely, in my view, is the notion that the garments represent persons and especially a person's glory. Clothing manifests and represents persons, and throwing garments down means submitting to become the footstool of the king. Clothing also manifests the glory of a person, and throwing down garments is putting down one's glory (perhaps putting one's glory in the dust) in the presence of the greater glory of the king, as the elders in Revelation throw down their crowns before the Lord. Jehu's troops would be wearing military gear of some sort, and throwing down their robes would be a dramatic sign that they were devoting their energies and achievements to the service of Jehu.
3) There is some importance too in the fact that those who remove their outer robes would be standing "naked" before the king (they would not have their outer garments at least). There is a parallel here with David's "nakedness" before Yahweh. The disciples of Jesus "play the fool" in the presence of the true king.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, February 14, 2004 at 12:39 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
