Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
The question is asked of Christ as He comes from Edom, from Bozrah, with stained clothing, majestic in dress and moving forward in great power as the One who speaks in righteousness and is mighty to save. It asks why His clothing is red, like the clothing of one who crushes grapes in the winepress. The redness is because He trod the press alone with no one with Him, bearing by Himself the sin, guilt and punishment of humanity as the sin-bearing Surety who gave Himself wholly to save the lost. Though He appeared stained with imputed sin, He remained personally pure, spotless and sinless while suffering death for every person, drinking the bitter cup, meeting the demands of the law, and shedding His own precious blood as the price of ransom on Calvary. The same redness is the blood sprinkled on His garments because He treads His enemies in anger and fury, for the day of vengeance is in His heart and the year of His redeemed has come, and by His death as Sin-bearer He bruised and defeated Satan, paid the penalty of transgression, and secured salvation for a multitude.
The Figure Questioned
The inquiry is addressed to Christ as He is seen advancing from Edom, from Bozrah, with dyed garments, glorious in apparel and traveling in the greatness of strength. The same coming One is beheld with clothing stained as if He had trodden a winepress. He answers for Himself that He is the One who speaks in righteousness and is mighty to save. His salvation is brought by His own arm, when there was none to help and none to uphold. Strengthened by assurance of the Father's love after Gethsemane, He emerged from suffering calm and mighty to save.
The question put to Him asks why His apparel is red, like the garments of one who treads grapes in the winefat or winepress. It seeks the reason His glorious apparel is stained red like that of someone who has trodden a winepress. The redness is set forth as the mark of His solitary work of bearing sin and saving the lost, for He alone trod the winepress with none of the people with Him.
Why the Garments Are Red
The red staining is there because He trod the winepress alone, with none of the people with Him and no one beside Him to share the burden or the work. The redness like one treading in the winefat or winepress marks solitary action to bring salvation, with His own arm bringing it when there was none to help and none to uphold. It signifies bearing humanity's sin, guilt, iniquities and punishment as the sin-burdened Surety and Sin-bearer, giving Himself wholly to save the lost. Though He bore sin and appeared sin-stained, He remained personally pure, spotless and entirely sinless, yet bore iniquity and faced punishment as a transgressor of God's law.
The image points to suffering and death in which He bore the guilt and sufferings of death for every person, drank the bitter cup, endured the agony alone with no one sharing the burden, fulfilled the demands of the divine law, and, strengthened after Gethsemane by assurance of the Father's love, emerged calm and mighty to save. The people He came to save rejected Him, repaid good with evil, and condemned Him to crucifixion. The stained garments show the price of ransom, His own precious blood shed as the meek, holy Sufferer bearing individual sins and carrying sorrows on the cross of Calvary, where mercy and truth met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other.
The redness is also blood sprinkled upon His garments and staining all His raiment because He treads His enemies in anger and tramples them in fury in anger and judgment. The trampling of the winepress alone in anger executes vengeance even while it brings redemption. This is because the day of vengeance is in His heart and the year of His redeemed is come, the day of divine vengeance when He judges evil and brings redemption.
By His death as Sin-bearer He gained victory while being bruised, defeated Satan, destroyed him that had the power of death, paid in His own body the penalty of transgression on which Satan's power rests, became possessor of the keys of hell and of death, ended Satan's reign without a rival, proved the power of hell overcome, signed the emancipation papers of the race with His blood, and brought salvation to a multitude. Through that victory He opened a way for the message of hope and mercy to go to the ends of the earth, scattered the midnight superstition of the heathen before the Sun of Righteousness, made Himself found by a nation not called by His name, and caused light and glory to rise so that Gentiles and kings come to that light.
The question is asked of Christ as He comes from Edom, from Bozrah, with stained clothing, majestic in dress and moving forward in great power as the One who speaks in righteousness and is mighty to save. It asks why His clothing is red, like the clothing of one who crushes grapes in the winepress. The redness is because He trod the press alone with no one with Him, bearing by Himself the sin, guilt and punishment of humanity as the sin-bearing Surety who gave Himself wholly to save the lost. Though He appeared stained with imputed sin, He remained personally pure, spotless and sinless while suffering death for every person, drinking the bitter cup, meeting the demands of the law, and shedding His own precious blood as the price of ransom on Calvary. The same redness is the blood sprinkled on His garments because He treads His enemies in anger and fury, for the day of vengeance is in His heart and the year of His redeemed has come, and by His death as Sin-bearer He bruised and defeated Satan, paid the penalty of transgression, and secured salvation for a multitude.
The Figure Questioned
The inquiry is addressed to Christ as He is seen advancing from Edom, from Bozrah, with dyed garments, glorious in apparel and traveling in the greatness of strength. The same coming One is beheld with clothing stained as if He had trodden a winepress. He answers for Himself that He is the One who speaks in righteousness and is mighty to save. His salvation is brought by His own arm, when there was none to help and none to uphold. Strengthened by assurance of the Father's love after Gethsemane, He emerged from suffering calm and mighty to save.
The question put to Him asks why His apparel is red, like the garments of one who treads grapes in the winefat or winepress. It seeks the reason His glorious apparel is stained red like that of someone who has trodden a winepress. The redness is set forth as the mark of His solitary work of bearing sin and saving the lost, for He alone trod the winepress with none of the people with Him.
Why the Garments Are Red
The red staining is there because He trod the winepress alone, with none of the people with Him and no one beside Him to share the burden or the work. The redness like one treading in the winefat or winepress marks solitary action to bring salvation, with His own arm bringing it when there was none to help and none to uphold. It signifies bearing humanity's sin, guilt, iniquities and punishment as the sin-burdened Surety and Sin-bearer, giving Himself wholly to save the lost. Though He bore sin and appeared sin-stained, He remained personally pure, spotless and entirely sinless, yet bore iniquity and faced punishment as a transgressor of God's law.
The image points to suffering and death in which He bore the guilt and sufferings of death for every person, drank the bitter cup, endured the agony alone with no one sharing the burden, fulfilled the demands of the divine law, and, strengthened after Gethsemane by assurance of the Father's love, emerged calm and mighty to save. The people He came to save rejected Him, repaid good with evil, and condemned Him to crucifixion. The stained garments show the price of ransom, His own precious blood shed as the meek, holy Sufferer bearing individual sins and carrying sorrows on the cross of Calvary, where mercy and truth met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other.
The redness is also blood sprinkled upon His garments and staining all His raiment because He treads His enemies in anger and tramples them in fury in anger and judgment. The trampling of the winepress alone in anger executes vengeance even while it brings redemption. This is because the day of vengeance is in His heart and the year of His redeemed is come, the day of divine vengeance when He judges evil and brings redemption.
By His death as Sin-bearer He gained victory while being bruised, defeated Satan, destroyed him that had the power of death, paid in His own body the penalty of transgression on which Satan's power rests, became possessor of the keys of hell and of death, ended Satan's reign without a rival, proved the power of hell overcome, signed the emancipation papers of the race with His blood, and brought salvation to a multitude. Through that victory He opened a way for the message of hope and mercy to go to the ends of the earth, scattered the midnight superstition of the heathen before the Sun of Righteousness, made Himself found by a nation not called by His name, and caused light and glory to rise so that Gentiles and kings come to that light.