The psalmist is speaking prophetically of the Lord Jesus. He is now gone back to heaven and when He comes back to this earth the second time, He’s going to be exalted in glory and majesty. But here we read that all His garments smell of myrrh, aloes and cassia. What lovely, sweet fragrances characterize our blessed Lord Jesus Christ! Let’s consider a few of the garments that He wore as He walked through this world.
The Garment of Humility
There He lay—the blessed Son of God wrapped in swaddling clothes. The God—Creator—of the universe, who could choose whichever way He wanted to come into this world, chose to come that way. Does that not touch our hearts? How precious it is that the Lord Jesus would empty Himself, come into this world without any fanfare, lie there in a humble manger in the garments of a newborn baby, and all because He loved us so much.
The Garment of Healing
Next we read in Matthew 9:20-2120And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. (Matthew 9:20‑21), “Behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.”
What a picture of the need of each soul, lost in sin. The Lord Jesus “came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” She touched and was healed, but the disciples couldn’t understand why He would desire to know who touched Him. Oh, the Lord Jesus knows your heart, and He desires that you, too, might in faith reach out and touch His garment. What blessing, joy, healing and liberty will be yours!
The Garment of Service
“He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded” (John 13:45).
We see here that the Lord Jesus lays aside His garments in order to serve His beloved disciples. Are we willing to do that for our brethren? He takes the place of a servant, though He is Lord of all, and washes His disciples’ feet. What infinite grace on His part to do that, just before He went to the cross! What a fragrance of myrrh, aloes and cassia!
The Garment of Glory
“After six days Jesus taketh with Him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves: and He was transfigured before them. And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them” (Mark 9:2323Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (Mark 9:23)).
The Lord Jesus has a unique place—a place above every man. Here the disciples have an opportunity to see His Godhead glory being unveiled. When this world sees Him the next time, they’re going to see Him in this character too. But we can by faith see Him “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:99But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)) even now. What fragrance we enjoy in the measure in which we enjoy His garments of glory.
The Garment of Mockery
“They stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head” (Matt. 27:28-3028And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. (Matthew 27:28‑30)).
The heart of man is fully revealed here. They strip the Lord of glory of His garments—those that smell of myrrh, aloes and cassia. How very poor He became that we might be rich (2 Cor. 8:99For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9))! Man wickedly stripped the Lord Jesus of everything—even taking His garments from Him.
For we, the redeemed, may we daily delight in the sweet fragrance of His garments.
Ralph Klassen (adapted)