Covering

When a deep cut or wound happens on a person, it needs to be addressed and preparations for the healing process are to top priority. Looking to stop the bleeding and cover the wound as to protect it from further harm. Anything other than that is typically counterproductive to the healing. Certainly, at some point the bandage and covering must come off even before it is fully healed but that is never the initial response to leave it exposed.
We can have some of these same thoughts when seeing others (especially other Christians) caught in sin or having other failures come to light. We have a choice to cover them or expose them even further. Seeing their failure as a wound or sign of unhealth in them should instigate in us a desire to address their wound in a way that offers healing. Somehow, we feel so motivated to address this "wound" by exposing and making them an outcast. The path that leads to is further wounding of the person needing to have their sins covered by perfect love. Getting past this mindset that covering is something passive or not truly addressing the sin is key to seeing wholeness in the Body of Christ here on earth.

The crucifixion story offers many symbols of covering. One is looking at Jesus himself while on the cross. While many of our pictures today of him on the cross are more PG rated, it was anything but that. He was completely naked with no ability to cover himself during that time. His hands and feet nailed in place and his exposure was forced upon him. In the same way we say he took on our sin so that we can take on his righteousness, he also took on our exposure so that we can be covered in him.
In another picture, we see Joseph of Arimathea come to the dead body of Christ and embrace it. He took on the job of taking him off the cross. The limp, lifeless and quite disgusting body of Jesus he had to get acquainted with in order to honor it. For a short period of time we have Jesus as a corpse. What does he represent in that state? Sin. What does Joseph do? Covers it. We see a literal picture of love covering a multitude of sins. Despite how it looked to Joseph and even while others abandoned Jesus since they lost hope, he still chose to cover and honor Jesus in that condition.
I pray we can all grow our hearts into more of that posture when we see others needing to be covered