Harry’s cloak of invisibility; Joseph’s coat of many colours
“It’s never occured to me before, but I’ve heard stuff about charms wearing off cloaks when they get old, or them being ripped apart by spells so they’ve got holes in. Harry’s was owned by his dad, so it’s not exactly new, is it, but it’s just… perfect!”( Ron Weasley in HP-1. )
So, there are many Invisibility Cloaks in the universe of Harry Potter.
And it so happens that the one Harry has was Unique, one of a kind, because it was very powerful and efficient at deflecting Curses too. This means that Harry’s Cloak was made from special materials and also made from using special magic by one of the three Peverell brothers, Harry’s blood ancestors.
But I believe Harry’s cloak most outstanding attribute, beyond its longevity and sustainability; more powerful than its ability to repel hexes and spells; more wondrous than its powerful shield from unwanted probing eyes is that this cloak is a gift of love. Handled down from father and son through many generations, it is a cloak from unseen ancestral fathers of visible love.
This cloaking love is a protective love: it is designed to cover the vulnerable from the terrors and brokenness of both the earthly muggle world and the seen and unseen supernatural domains of the ‘magical’ world.
JK Rowling is not the first to mention a cloak of unique love. Jehovah God uses cloak and covering imagery throughout his Word. Indeed, his Word itself can be ultimately viewed as a cloak of love. I believe this unique covering love is His essential attribute, Yahweh’s greatest gift to humanity: Jesus is a cloak covering love.
We can see humanity trying to create such covering cloaks. But designed and formed by human hands, they are doomed to fade and tear. One Bible character’s journey with many types of created cloaks illustrates the flaws of such creative endeavours: Joseph.
Joseph is given a beautiful cloak of many colours by his father Jacob. It not only fails to protect him but broadcasts Joseph’s presence to his jealous brothers who strip him and destroy the coat in tatters and blood while selling Joseph into slavery. ( Genesis 37 )
As the managing household slave in Potiphar’s house he is given a fine cloak of this office . And yet, Potiphar’s wife tears this covering from him as he runs away from her seductions. Used as evidence against Joseph, this cloak leads him into Pharaoh’s prison. ( Genesis 39 )
Finally, Joseph wears the cloak and endorsements of Pharaoh’s second in command. But these linens only serve to further separate him from his family and his father: they will live in Goshen;
Joseph will live in Egypt’s capital, married to an Egyptian, away from his ancestral home. ( Genesis 41: 42 )
So, where then do we see, hold, wear, this clothing of generous love, this unique Jesus cloak?
Revelation 19: 8 describes His cloaks for us,
‘It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.’
By His stripes we are healed, clothed. By his wounds we live. By His linen clothe, we are made his, bright and clean.
This is what all Bible and literary cloaks look towards: Jesus’ cloak of love. His ‘gift’.
His cloak makes all my sins invisible. Even to myself.
2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV ‘Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.’
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