While doing my internship as a counselling psychologist, I was instructed on what to wear to look professional. Standard suit and blouse were expected. I sometimes wondered if wearing blue jeans and hiking boots might not have been more symbolic of my willingness to walk alongside my clients, and therefore maybe more professional. When my husband became an Anglican priest, our daughters took great joy in giggling at their father's 'dresses'. It was quite a change from the usual blue jeans and trainers of his previous youthwork job.
We often know something about people by what they wear. The robes of a priest. The uniform of the Salvation Army on skid row. The strange headgear of bishops. The tattered clothing of the 'bag ladies' of our urban streets. The conformity of 'alternative clothing'. The body-piercing jewellery of our teenagers. Such clothing tells us something of the person wearing the garments. Something about who they belong to, who they associate with and what purposes they commit themselves to. So it is in this verse: righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. These are inherent qualities of Jesus, the 'shoot of Jesse'. In the Old Testament, the belt symbolises a willing readiness to act. In this case, acting in righteousness and faithfulness. Actions that will reflect the purposes of God for a people He loves.
