November 13, 2023

The Value Of Simple Things

(Some information may be too graphic for small children)

“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.” John 19:23 (NASB)

            In the United States, a person can enter a store and walk out with several different outfits or clothes. We have the luxury of having a closet full of different outfits for different occasions. In Jesus’s time, the poor Jew might have only one set of clothing. The idea is that the more wealthy, the more clothing. The color of clothing was also a sign of expression as well. For an era where the backdrop of society was fairly pale, color added vibrance to the scene.  

            “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments…”  “During Jesus’ time, the cloak or mantle worn by the Jews was not only used as a topcoat, but also served as a bedroll or a blanket. Blue tassels were included on the garment to comply with Jewish law.

All Jewish people wore sandals, which were either crafted with wood or camel hide.”[1] The outer garment Jesus wore would have been a cloak (himation). “Cloaks were generally rectangular in shape—which distinguished them from the toga and other kinds of Roman outer garments—and were available in different sizes. Cloaks could be worn draped around the body and/or over the shoulder without being fastened (Cleland et al., Greek and Roman Dress, 92). Roman men wore sandals that consisted of a stiff sole attached to the foot by leather straps, thongs, or braided material (ὑπόδημα, hypodēma; Mark 1:7). Sandals varied in style depending on their price, the status of the wearers, and the occasion of use (Cleland et al., Greek and Roman Dress, 165).”[2] MacArthur says these clothes had value as well; “By custom, the clothes of the condemned person were the property of the executioners. The division of the garments suggests that the execution squad was made up of 4 soldiers (cf. Acts 12:4). The tunic was worn next to the skin. The plural ‘garments’ probably refers to other clothes, including an outer garment, belt, sandals, and head covering.”[3] “It was custom for the four soldiers responsible for a crucifixion to divide among themselves the possessions of the condemned. Jesus had only His clothing. It seems that the soldiers found some satisfactory way of dividing most of it, but the tunic was left over. This was a special garment, not made of several pieces sewed together, but woven in one piece. Since it was impossible to divide it without greatly reducing its value, the soldiers decided to cast lots to see who of the four would receive the whole garment. This fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 22:18.,”[4] “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

            We often get rid of clothing we don’t want any more by donating it or putting it in the trash. We have so much to be thankful for today. Imagine a time when clothing was actually worth something and a prize to be gambled over for those who crucified Jesus. All Jesus ever owned was being gambled over for rights of ownership. All that was His was given to mankind. Think of this next time you open your closet. We are truly blessed each day by what we have.

[1] https://www.reference.com/world-view/did-jewish-people-wear-jesus-time-12528b014768b2b0.

[2] Park, J. (2016). In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

[3] (MacArthur, John, 1997). 1624.

[4] Foster, L. (1987). Standard.