“Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’ Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there» (Matthew 27 :35, 36).
ONE MORNING, I WOKE UP thinking about the Roman soldiers in charge of guarding Jesus as He hung on the cross. When those men went out that day to do their work, they did not imagine that they would be participating in an event that had been announced for centuries by the prophets of old: the moment when the Son of God Himself would pay with His blood for the right to redeem fallen humanity. They, of course, knew nothing.
What they did know was that the clothes of those who were crucified belonged to the soldiers in charge of the execution. * Thus, they «divided His garments [by] casting lots»: «the headgear, the sandals, the girdle, and the tallith, the outer garment with fringes. «t Four parts, «to each soldier a part» (John 19:23). However, the robe was seamless, «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’ » (vv. 23, 24).
What a solemn thought! Unknowingly, those four soldiers were fulfilling the Psalmist’s prophecy at that moment: «They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots» (Psalm 22:18). Even more solemn is thinking that the One who was hanging on the center cross was God made flesh. The Redeemer of the world was dying for them, but they were more interested in knowing who would get the robe!
Had they heard the Lord’s words: «Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do»? If, as the Scriptures indicate, Jesus’s crucifixion took about six hours (Mark 15:25; Matthew 27:45), the obligatory question here is this: What did those four soldiers do during all that time, apart from guarding him and casting lots?
Is it possible to look at the cross and see nothing? Feel nothing? What do you see as you contemplate once again the scenes of Calvary? Do you simply see a Jew accused of revolt against Caesar? A good man dying unjustly? Or do you see the Son of God dying for you?
«Anyone who contemplates the cross and only sees a good man dying there is almost as blind as the Roman legionnaires.»—Alexander MacLaren.
Dear Jesus, as I remember the scenes of Calvary,
I want to thank You because You suffered it all out of Your love for me.
I should have been the one to suffer the cruel punishment of the cross.
That’s why it will be my greatest joy to praise and glorify Your holy name throughout the ages.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
