DRESS FOR A BRIDE

Tucked away in the picturesque countryside of southern Switzerland lies Zaziwill.  Our Swiss driver led us around winding roads beside fields of grain, flax, corn, and grassy pastures of browsing Simmental cows.

It was festival day for the farmers, and as we approached Zaziwill, we were enchanted with ladies dressed in long, colourful, exquisite blouses, with hand-made embroidery.  The accordeons and violins, tuba and trumpets set the musical tone for this special occasion.

The narrow streets were decked with tables of delicious Swiss confectionary, cakes, streudels, tortes, gingerbread, chocolates and clothing, all of which beguiled the villagers and the many visitors.

We paid our entry fee to the grassy arena to celebrate the Annual Zaziwill Flax Festival.  The winding pathway led us to an area where the Swiss grannies smilingly invited us to the processing of the flax.   And what a heart-warming and holy lesson we were to learn that day. 

At the first area, ladies sat on wooden stools to pull out a bundle of flax stalks.  With a large wooden comb they removed the seed pods.  When satisfied they passed each bundle of combed stalks to the younger ladies, who vigorously flayed them between two pieces of hinged wood, which were fixed to a trestle. We observed the consistent, rhythmic action as the girls beat the flax between the wooden slats.  With quick, determined blows they beat the fibres for up to ten minutes.

Nearby a glowing fire crackled in a two metre high kiln.  The girls threw the beaten flax stalks on the hot brick roof where the penetrating fire softened the fibres.  To follow the intense heat, young Swiss men hauled the hundreds of softening fibres to a large mangle, a  reminder of childhood when we turned the mangle to activate the rollers to press sheets, towels and cloths for our mothers.   And here the young men vigorously pushed and pulled the softened flax fibres numerous times, backwards  and forwards through the immense mangle rollers.  

I began to wonder at the necessity of these extraordinary procedures and processes, as the young men continued actively mangling the flax.  However, eventually they transferred the flax from the mangle to another large table.  Again the women beat the fibre between larger wooden slats, until it complied with the Inspector’s rigid requirements for preparing the material.

When sufficiently pliable it was ready for the spinners, who carefully pulled and gently guided the softened threads between thumb and middle finger.  As well they  treadled their spinning wheels, as the threads wound on the cones, until filled with the fine thread.  We watched the miracle of the fine, delicate thread emerging from those original, unattractive stalks of flax.

Then our hostess, Agnes, accompanied us to a tent, decorated with red geraniums, where the weavers sat with their looms and frames to transform the thread into fine linen cloth.  Then she guided us to the main hall to gasp at the beautiful and delicate garments of fine linen; but, oh, so costly.

The significance of the afternoon’s experience suddenly amazed me.  I felt like the two who walked on the way to Emmaus – ‘did not our hearts burn within us as He ( the Lord Jesus ) taught us in the way.’ The meaning came alive.

In the Revelation, John wrote of the Lord Jesus, ‘Let us be glad and give honour to Him:  for the marriage of the Lamb is come and His wife ( all believers in Christ ) has made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the white linen is the righteousness of saints. ( Revelation19:7,8 )

Our perfect covering was provided by the Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered the beatings, the fire of suffering, the mangling of His body, the pain of bearing our sins on the cross, the scourging, to provide for us the garment of His righteousness, pictured as fine linen.  You would not be surprised that we talked in awe and wonder in the quaint little town of Zaziwill of our Lord’s suffering for our robe of righteousness, by faith – and your’s too.

The significance of fine (twined ) linen occurs more than 100 times in the Bible.  In Exodus 38 and 39 you will find 12 references.

All are ‘hidden’ references or pictures of God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ.

 Search in a Concordance for ‘fine linen’ and you will marvel at God’s continuous reminder of the coming of Messiah right through His Word.  Even our Lord was prepared for His burial with the wrappings of fine, twined linen .