Message
John 19:23-24
Why Are You Naked?
Humiliated Redemption
During the crucifixion of Jesus there is a situation which arises that adds to the humiliation that Jesus is experiencing.
John 19:23-24 gives us the most comprehensive description.
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 ‘Let’s not tear it,’ they said to one another. ‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.’
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, ‘They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.’
So this is what the soldiers did.
Four items of clothing – what would they be?
… sandals.
… an outer garment.
… a belt.
… some sort of head covering.
Four items to be divided among four soldiers.
Then a seamless tunic … an under garment.
It is the garment Jesus is wearing when he washes his disciples feet.
The fact that it is a seamless tunic has generated a lot of discussion.
Some early church fathers saw it as a symbol of unity of the church – but the symbol kind of falls apart the moment the tunic is taken away from Jesus.
Some point to the fact that the high-priest also had a seamless garment – and they see priestly and sacrificial symbolism here. But the seamless garment of the high-priest was the outer garment. So that symbolism doesn’t really work either.
We are on more solid ground if we more on cultural norms and Scriptural directives.
Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
Leviticus 19:19
Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
Deuteronomy 22:11
Scripture directed that all pieces of clothing be made of the same material. A woollen cloak was all wool. A linen garment was all linen. A leather belt was all leather. What this means is that lots of Jews walked around with seamless garments woven from one material. In was a normal part of life.
Four small piles of clothing … and a seamless garment.
What is striking here is how little earthly possessions Jesus actually has.
There are no luxuries.
It’s the bare minimum isn’t it.
Yet, even the little Jesus has, is taken away.
Which leaves Jesus with … nothing.
Jesus is naked on the cross.
Knowing that this is our Saviour … Our Messiah … Our King.
It … well it almost feels blasphemous talking about Jesus like this doesn’t it.
Indeed it is so hard to fathom that, historically, there are those who try and sanitise this situation. They do so by referring to Mishnah Sanhedrin 6.3, which was written in the second century AD. This Mishnah describes how the process of stoning someone who is condemned to death. In the description, even though the condemned is stripped naked, he is given a small loin cloth. And women were also given small coverings for their front and back.
But, this is not a stoning, it is a crucifixion.
And the Jews are not in control of the process – the Romans are.
When the Romans are involved the condemned crucified were always naked. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who lived at the same time as Jesus, describes a crucifixion.
The men ordered to lead the slave to his punishment. Having stretched out both his arms and fastened them to a piece of wood which extended across his breast and shoulders as far as his wrists, they followed him, tearing his naked body with whips.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus Roman Antiquities 7.69.2
People thrown to the lions were naked. People executed on the battlefield were stripped naked. It was a method the Romans used to humiliate, cause fear, and exert control. The deliberate humiliation is a part of the brutality of the Roman military.
But here is what we really have to come to grips with. What we are witnessing – Jesus being stripped naked – this is actually just business as usual. Business as usual for the soldiers. Another day. Another crucifixion. That was their duty.
Get the body fastened to the cross, with nails through hands and feet.
Pull the cross upright, so the real agony can begin.
The crucified slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain. Then the crucified pushes themselves upward to avoid the stretching torment placing full weight on the nail through their feet. Again … searing pain. Eventually the strain is all too much and the one being crucified can’t lift anymore. A terrible crushing pain deep in the chest starts to happen as the lungs slowly fills with serum and begin to compress the heart. The crucified will die from suffocation, or heart failure.
That is what Jesus went through … will go through … for us.
At some point in the process … probably not long after they have stood the cross and condemned upright.
At that point the four soldiers gather around the possessions of Jesus to gamble and divide.
Roman Army regulations stated that the property of the person condemned to death could be legitimately taken by those who executed the sentence – this is just business as usual.
Let’s stop and picture that moment.
I picture four soldiers hunching down … kind of in a bit of a circle.
Four small piles of possessions … being divided among the four of them.
Then the tunic. A seamless garment.
It is not a particularly valuable plunder. But still, better than nothing. A small perk for being willing to put people to death.
The soldiers are leaning over some dice – watching for their number.
They are here. And the owner of the clothes is just there.
Jesus is looking down from the cross. Looking down at four soldiers who are looking down on the last of his possessions.
Jesus isn’t dead yet. But the soldiers act as if he is. The soldiers are so focussed on the business as usual they have almost forgotten about Jesus. Casting lots for the possessions of Christ. Heads ducked. Eyes downward. Cross forgotten. That is the symbolism which is striking isn’t it.
They are at the foot of the cross – but the cross is not empty. They are gambling over a pile of clothes – while the owner hangs by three nails just a metre above their heads. He is bleeding and gasping and dying.
How in the world can this happen? How can individuals be so cold as to have this eternal drama being played out over their heads? How can they be so blasé, complacent and hard-hearted as to carrying on in a business-as-usual fashion while the eternal Son of God bleeds, chokes, and dies?
The symbolism is striking isn’t it. But so is the realisation that we can be people who do exactly the same thing.
Complacency.
Comfortableness.
Business as usual.
You don’t need to be a soldier to be like this.
I am perfectly comfortable at times with the knowledge of the reality of the death of the Son of God on the Cross of Calvary. I am certainly capable of going about my business as usual.
I can read that text where it says that the soldiers, having beaten Him, took Him out to a place known as Golgotha, the Place of the Skull. They nailed His hands to the cross-member, dropped it down on top of the upright, nailed His feet to the base of it and there they murdered Jesus Christ.
There! I’ve done it. Passage read. But what do I feel inside?
Does it challenge me?
Does it change me?
Does it comfort me?
Or am I just like the soldiers?
Common soldiers witnessing the world’s most uncommon event and not even really acknowledging its significance. We like to think we would be different – but are we?
How easy it is to look away from the cross and just get on with our business-as-usual lives. How easy it is to relegate the humility of the whole situation to the back of our mind and kind of overlook the true significance of what is happening here.
Jesus has no clothes.
Jesus has no undergarment.
Jesus is naked as He hangs on the cross.
It’s a shameful act.
Humiliation upon humiliation is thrust upon Jesus. It’s no wonder the well-dressed Pharisees and teachers of the law scoffed at the idea that this was the promised Messiah. The whole idea of following a naked Christ is offensive. As they go past the cross they have to bit their lips or they will find themselves laughing into distortion.
A crucified Messiah.
It’s foolishness.
It’s blasphemy.
But this is exactly what the Scriptures said would happen.
This is exactly what God ordained. Look closer at John 19:24
24 ‘Let’s not tear it,’ they said to one another. ‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.’
This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled that said, ‘They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.’
So this is what the soldiers did.
What Scripture is being fulfilled.
It is Psalm 22:18.
The title of the Psalm tells us that it is written by David. The same King David who lived almost 1000 years before Jesus.
1000 years before Jesus hangs on a cross God inspires David to write a verse in a Psalm that describes a very specific moment.
The moment when the clothes of Jesus are divided and lots are cast for his tunic.
The moment the Son of God is identified as being crucified naked on a cross.
And it is not happening because it is business as usual.
It is happening because God said it was going to happen.
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, ‘They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.’ So this is what the soldiers did.
This is what the soldiers did … because this is what God wanted … what God said would happen. The humiliation. The dividing of clothes. The gambling. The death of Jesus Christ was in God’s mind before the foundation of the world. A plan that has our … my … your … eternal salvation in mind.
And that means, while we might see something of ourselves in the soldiers, we cannot allow these verses to be treated in a business-as-usual fashion.
Emotionally the soldiers were able to deal with the situation – to be honest the whole event probably is just a bore. First century Judah was considered to be the backwaters of the Roman Empire. It was a boring mission because they were looking for fights and adventure – instead they end up being nothing more than peace-keepers. They have no emotional attachment to this whole event.
“Who is this Jesus guy we are crucifying? He claims to be God. So have heaps of others. He’s the One who last Sunday hauled in all the big crowds and the palm branches and stuff.”
“Who is this person really?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s just get this over with. And, by the way, I really want that tunic and my lucky number is 9.”
It is business as usual.
But we do not have that luxury. We can’t sit back and remain emotionally detached. This is our Saviour. This is the One who has come to take our sin. This is the One who was willing to go through hellish humiliation so that we would have the opportunity to stand before the Father in eternal heavenly bliss. It can’t be business-as-usual.
This is my debt being covered.
This is my punishment being taken.
This is my shame being carried.
It should have been me … us. Our humiliation.
Our Saviour, Jesus, was crucified naked.
Don’t try and sanitise that reality.
It is what God ordained … spoken in the Scriptures and fulfilled.
The plan of humiliated redemption so that each one of us can be clothed with Christ.
A child of God through faith.
Part of the seed of Abraham.
An heir.
God nailed his naked son to a wooden cross and completely humiliated him … for you.
That is why Jesus is naked
Prayer
