John 19:23-24 23Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also the tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 24Then they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it for whose it will be.” This was in order to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things.
The next scene seems to have the purpose of showing how what happened to Jesus on the cross fulfilled prophecy. The biggest job of the Roman soldiers was finished with Jesus hanging on the cross. The remaining job was to keep an eye on the crowd and look threatening. There were at least four soldiers, since they wanted to divide Jesus’ clothes four ways. Why did they divide Jesus’ clothes? Soldiers of any era and location usually are not paid well, so extra clothing would be handy. However, it would have been all bloody from his wounds. So, perhaps this was another form of mockery and they just wanted to have a souvenir of the occasion.
They ran into a problem of how to divide the clothing. Jesus would have had at least sandals, possibly some form of belt, and then the cloth. The typical clothing for Jews of that time was a inner tunic and outer robe. The soldiers had a problem when it came to major item, the tunic since it was all one piece and seamless. They could not divide it without ruining it. Because this garment was seamless, someone would have taken great care in weaving and making it. The soldiers’ answer was to cast lots or gamble to see who would win this interesting prize. They were acting out of their freewill, ignorant that they were fulfilling a prophecy from Psalm 22:18, which John quotes.
John’s insertion of this story could have several implied messages beyond simply adding historical detail. A significant point is that it shows how what happened to Jesus was part of the Father’s plan. Even the small details, like what happened at the cross, were prophesied long ago. If the Jews knew their own Scriptures, they would know and recognize this. A broader theme is God’s sovereignty at work in the midst of human choice. The decision to cast lots was just someone’s quick solution to a problem. Yet, on the cosmic level, it was according to God’s plan. The tension between human freewill and divine foreknowledge is evident here. God did not force these soldiers to act in this way but knew they would. For God to foreordain something does not mean God forces it upon humanity. Omniscience is far superior to human freedom but does not force the decisions people make. Every prophecy fits this understanding. God knows what will happen but does not force it to happen.
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