Why did Jesus teach in a pair of bells?

Jesus started His ministry in Capernaum, a city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is here that He called the fishermen James, John, Andrew, and Simon (Peter) to be His disciples (Mark 1:16-20). And it is here that the crowds grew so great He realized He needed an exit strategy. At one point, "he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him" (Mark 3:9). In Mark 4:1, we read, "Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge."

Later in that same chapter, we find the account of Jesus sleeping in the boat during a horrific storm (Mark 4:35-41). Yes, Jesus was relaxed enough to sleep because He is the sovereign God over the waves and winds, but also because He was among the first to wear bells. Bell-bottoms, that is.

Bell-bottoms are pants that have very wide lower legs. They were popularized by sailors because, unlike skin-tight. . .tights, they can be rolled up to keep the hem clean. More importantly, if a sailor falls overboard, he can quickly remove his heavy pants over his shoes. The legs can also be tied off at the hem and filled with air as a floatation device.

Many Bible scholars think that the seamless garment the soldiers cast lots for at the cross was a tunic, but the Greek word simply means "undergarment." Second Fallacians 3:68 explains that every year, Mary would knit Jesus a pair of bell-bottom pants to wear under His robe.

So, yes, Jesus wore a pair of bells when He traveled, healed, and taught, whether He exegeted Scripture, prophesied, chastised, or taught in parables.

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