A Good Friday Message
A Good Friday Message
from Rev. John Pingel, President of the Eastern District of the LCMS
Commentators report that Roman Law awarded the victims clothes as spoils for Roman executioners.
The soldiers who attended the cross on Good Friday consisted of a QUATERNION—a company of four. The garments belonging to Jesus would have likely included a head dress, sandals, belt, and outer garment—in other words, the clothing Jesus was wearing when he was arrested.
Apparently, according to John 19:33, the soldiers were able to decide ownership of these four articles of clothing WITHOUT gambling. If they were able to agree on consignment of the four articles of clothing, one item of clothes for each soldier---why did they also cast lots?
It is John who provides the clarification.
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his outer garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, AND ALSO HIS TUNIC. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom, woven into ONE PIECE. They said among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it might be.’ This was so the Scriptures might be fulfilled, which said, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Therefore the soldiers did these things.”
The tunic, a fifth item, a long shirt-like undergarment, was indivisible, and therefore unique from the other clothes, and very likely more valuable. It alone stood SEAMLESS and would need to be awarded to a single soldier only, rather than ripped into four pieces. For this reason they agreed to gamble in order to decide ownership of the tunic.
And so these four unnamed Roman military men, who just happened to be assigned crucifixion duty that day, and just happened to be in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, who happened that day to be wearing a seamless tunic—were operating out of their own impulses. They were not Jews. The had no familiarity with Jewish Scripture. They were not controlled by any external source. No unseen or mysterious force had control of their minds, to cause them to ROBOTICALLY fulfil a prophecy, written by King David many years earlier. As Roman soldiers, they were doing what Roman soldiers would do, with typically sinful human motive. They were one in their desire to profit from their victim by acquiring his material goods. With an extra garment in their possession, the act of trying to divide a seamless coat would likely have rendered it frayed and useless. The soldiers knew this and therefore decided to cast lots and leave it to chance WHO would get the entire garment.
So let us from this perspective approach this well-known incident. A bunch of Roman soldiers attempt to divide up a man’s last remaining earthly possession equitably among themselves. They gamble. The outcome is a matter of a roll of the dice. And yet—is not this incident, this seemingly minor detail, somehow ironic? Or shall we say, SURREAL?
DRINKING, LAUGHING, GAMBLING….while right above them, just over their heads, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD…THE LORD OF ALL CREATION…is dying on a cross!
No concern. No sympathy. No compassion. Their only concern is who will get a piece of cloth. They gamble to determine who will get his undergarment. A cataclysmic event is going on, the pivotal point of all history….and there they are, seemingly unconcerned, another day at the job. Hey, at least gambling gives us something to do while we wait for him to die! UNHOLY INDIFFERENCE. Something really, really important is going on. And what do we see? Human beings, unaware of the significance of this event, occupied with what they consider “more important” things.
Characteristic of this world in which we live, wouldn’t you say?
Lamentations 1:2 reads: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.”
There is a painting I remember seeing at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. It was a contemporary depiction of Christ’ crucifixion. Jesus is hanging on a cross between two thieves, bleeding and dying. Going by him are a parade of people in modern dress. Doctors, nurses, lawyers, construction workers, policemen, postal workers, students, older people, just walking by, hardly noticing what is going on.
I often think of that painting on Good Friday as I go about town. Good Friday is such a sacred day. Kids have off from school. Some have off from work. But how many observe the sacred nature of the day? It’s just a day off. Few attend church. Few spend even a few moments with bowed head in remembrance of the Savior, who bleeds for us, and dies for us, in the most horrific fashion, in order that we might have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
The soldiers gambled for his clothes. We gamble for many things. We place bets on horses and football teams. We drop by the convenience store and buy a lottery ticket. We gamble, sometimes habitually, sometimes for fun, sometimes in an attempt to get ourselves out of trouble.
We gamble on many things. But there is one thing we must not gamble with… our salvation. The fact of the matter is---his death on the cross has eternal ramifications. And our response to it is of UTMOST importance.
There will come a time, as it certainly came for those soldiers who found themselves at the foot of the cross that day—a time which will come for each of us—when we must stare eternity in the face.
But those who trust in the Savior, who truly believe that he bled and died for them, can enter eternity with confidence.
Trusting in Christ’s saving work on our behalf, we are on solid ground. Trusting in his shed blood on the cross, we can face death with a HOLY indifference…with sins forgiven, assured of a Father’s welcome home.
