Why did they divide Jesus’ outer garments and cast lots for His tunic (1) The reason for dividing Jesus’ outer garments into four parts
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April 06, 2025 |
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 “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,’ that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’ Therefore the soldiers did these things.”
(John 19:23-24)
Before His crucifixion, Jesus was already covered in blood because He had a thorny crown on His head and was severely scourged. He carried the heavy cross on His shoulders and when He barely arrived at Golgotha, the place of execution, the Roman soldiers crucified Him and divided His outer garments into four parts. However, they did not divide His tunic but cast lots for it. Herein lies the profound providence of God.
1. The providence that divided Jesus’ outer garment into four parts
John 19:23-24 records, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be.’”
Why did God record Jesus’ outer garments and tunic in such detail? The answer can be found in the history of Israel after 70 AD.
Jesus came as the King of the Jews, and Jesus’ outer garments spiritually refers to ‘Israel’ or ‘the Jewish people’. The Roman soldiers crucified Jesus and divided His garments into four parts. The form of His garments was gone, and it signifies that the nation of Israel would perish and disappear.
But each piece of His garments remained when each soldier took each part of it. It indicates that the nation would perish but the name ‘Israel’ would remain. Just as Jesus’ garments was divided into four parts, Israel was eventually destroyed in 70 AD and its people were scattered to all corners of the world.
This is why Jews are all over the world to this day. When the city of Jerusalem collapsed by the Roman General Titus, the Roman army destroyed the walls of Jerusalem and set fire to the temple. As many structures of the Temple were overlaid with gold, gold melted down and smeared into the walls. They tore down the walls completely to scratch gold and not one stone was left upon another.
Pregnant women were ripped open and infants were taken away from their mothers and dashed in pieces. Many were cruelly slaughtered and the remnants were taken captives into Rome or other cities. Israel suffered such a horrible oppression and affliction not by chance but for a spiritual reason.
In Matthew 27 was a scene in which Pilate saw a riot was rising and condemned Jesus to crucifixion, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the Jews in attendance said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”
Just as they said, their descendants bled so much. When Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army in AD 70, approximately 1.1 million Jews were slaughtered. And around 6 million were massacred by Nazi during the Second World War. They made Jesus crucified naked, saying, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” This was a snare to them, and a terrible affliction came upon them, and they were killed naked at World War II according to their confession.
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