The Coat of Christ

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“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”

John 19:23-24 KJV

It still blows my mind, that a Man so good could be treated so bad.

Christ was treated with total disdain, not only by Rome , but most of His own people. He was sentenced to death in a kangaroo court for crimes He wasn’t guilty of; tortured, mocked, and finally crucified on The Cross of Calvary.

They took His garments and divided them into four parts, with every soldier getting a part. However, when it came to His coat they had another idea. John goes in more detail about the coat than any of the other gospel writers. What is so significant about this coat?

First, the coat was a very expensive garment. It was made of linen without any seams. Perhaps one of the women who followed Him made it or had it made for Him.

Secondly, this seamless coat was worn as an under-garment by the Levitical High Priest (Exodus 28). Therefore, Jesus Christ being our High Priest was wearing a priestly coat. (Hebrews 9:11-15).

Third, the action of these soldiers at the foot of the Cross fulfilled a prophecy of Psalm 22:16-18, written 1,000 years earlier. They cast lots for His coat. A form of gambling in the ancient world.

Now, think about the story of the Coat of Christ. One lucky, blasphemous soldier won the coat! In my mind I can see him walking down Calvary waving the coat to the crowd standing by, who were in total disbelief of what had just taken place.

There are too many people in this world like the lucky soldier. They don’t want the Savior, just the stuff. This man walked away with a used, bloody coat from the Garment of Praise and the Robe of Righteousness.

I wonder when he put on the bloody coat if he was convicted of his despicable deed? The party is over, the crowd is far away, it’s just the soldier and his souvenir from the one day in His-Story that changed the entire world. The day he helped crucify the Lord of Glory.

The stuff is temporal, the Savior is eternal. Choose the Savior!