Many of us have a special
article of clothing hanging in our closet that we will never wear again —a
wedding dress, a military uniform, a tux…maybe something in a size eight when
we now wear a size 14. I’m wondering about the soldiers who crucified Jesus and
cast lots for his clothes. The Lord’s undergarment was seamless, woven in one
piece from top to bottom and coveted by the soldiers, “Let’s not tear it,” they
said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it” (John 19:2324a NIV).
I can’t imagine the winner of the lot actually wearing a garment that was surrounded
with so much significance…and yet I wonder if this crown jewel of garments
languished in a closet.
1 comment:
Gail;
-----What would cause three hours of darkness? Solar eclipses don’t last that long. Besides, there could not have been a solar eclipse. They crucified Jesus at Passover. Passover is always the middle of the month at the full moon. New moons eclipse the sun. Full moons are eclipsed by the earth. So, it was no solar eclipse. Luke says, “…the sun’s light failed.” (Luke 23:45) This is the same word Revelation uses to say a third part of the sun, moon, and stars were darkened. I suppose it could have been a thick cloud cover. Matthew and Mark merely report darkness over all the land. None of the Gospels report a wind blowing in clouds or any accompanying lightning. Even if the darkness were caused by cloud cover, three hours of it while this man rumored to be the Son of God hung on the cross would be ominous. Moreover, there was an earthquake, too. And rocks were split open. The Temple stairs were cracked. And the curtain before the ark of the covenant was torn asunder. When Jesus rose from the dead, many deceased saints who had come back to life when Christ died went into the city after He rose from the dead. All of these things were not ordinary. A few folks are of the kind who would shrug off anything and ignorantly proceed forward. Those types would treat the tunic carelessly. Most would at least appreciate its history.
-----Naturally, there are a few of Jesus’ robe around. Only one of it has an attested history earlier than the twelfth century, and it is torn apart and scattered to about a dozen different places in Russian areas. It’s story goes back to a Georgian rabbi named Elias who was in Jerusalem for the Passover when Christ was crucified. According to this story, he purchased it from a Roman soldier. So the soldier who won the robe may indeed have appreciated its history, and money, too. Elias took it back to Georgia where it began a long history. (wikipedia at: seamless robe of Jesus.)
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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