The Clothing of Jesus

“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 (NKJV)

Imagine the scene. The crowd is milling about, for, as gruesome as it seems, a crucifixion drew a crowd of curious people. Near the cross was Jesus’ own mother, suffering untold agony to see her Son crucified. The other women were a sister of Mary, and Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons. And John, the beloved disciple, who had heard Jesus assign the care of His mother to him with these words from the cross: “Woman, behold your son!” and “Behold your mother!”

And there, doing the duty assigned to them by the Roman government, were the soldiers, attending to the crucifixion of one Jesus of Nazareth and two common thieves. And there, while the act of redemption was taking place, they divided the clothing of Jesus into four portions, one for each. But they gambled for the tunic Jesus wore, for it was in one piece, woven from the top to the bottom, seamless.

We learn that in the dress of that day, a tunic was a garment worn next to the skin, loose-fitting and about knee length. Outer garments were worn over the tunic. The tunic belonging to Jesus was special. It was seamless. Such a garment was given to a Jewish young lad before he left his parents’ home to go out into the world. Some have suggested that Mary, Jesus’ mother, may have woven this seamless garment, but we don’t know that fact for sure.

The casting of lots for Jesus’ clothing was predicted in Psalm 23:18: “They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture.” Max Lucado in his book, He Chose the Nails (Nashville: Word, 2000, p. 73) suggests that the seamlessness of the robe suggests the seamless, unblemished, whole character of Jesus Christ. Instead of the seamless robe, Jesus was crucified in shame and nakedness.

Rev. Lucado also likens the nakedness of Jesus as the indignities he suffered as He bore our sins. He was viewed by the crowd as a failure, else He would not have been on the cross. He wore the shame of sin: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness" (I Peter 2:24, NIV). Paul wrote in Galatians 3:13 that Jesus “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’) “

The Roman soldiers could not have known that long-ago day how valuable, indeed, were the garments Jesus wore which they divided among themselves. Nor could they have known the deeper symbolism of Jesus’ nakedness and indignity. Much has been written about these garments. The novel, The Robe (c1942), by Lloyd C. Douglas was the best-selling novel of the 1940’s. A movie was based upon the novel and widely viewed following its production and even now.

But far more valuable than the seamless tunic for which they gambled are his garments which we are invited to wear in our own person: “For you are all Sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). From the scarlet of sin to the white of purity is the transformation we receive when we “take on” Christ, wear His garments of righteousness. In wearing His garments, we come before the Father forgiven, and our fellowship with Him is restored. For this purpose Jesus wore the garments of sin and indignity on the cross.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, March 31, 2010