Transcript of the segment on the Soldiers Gambling:
It wasn’t unusual for the soldiers to commandeer the clothing and effects of a crucified or executed man. These would have included an outer garment, an undergarment, a loincloth, a belt, sandals. And the soldiers on duty, apparently four of them that day, cast lots to determine which item belonged to which soldier. In the process of dividing up the stuff, they came across this coat, this undergarment, which instead of being made of different pieces of cloth and sewn together, had been woven in one piece from top to the bottom without a seam. That made it very valuable. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that the high priest’s coat, same word, was of this type, woven in one piece. It could be that John recognized that there was some importance to that. And that’s why he reports this fact, that takes place. He says, “That may be significant,” because he has already emphasized or introduced us to the idea that Jesus was the high priest who offers the sacrifice of himself. But John notices, as he reflects, on [how] this fulfills some words in Psalm 22. John does not tell us why he thought of Psalm 22, but the other gospel writers – John is familiar with what they have written – they tell us why. That’s because Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” That’s the very first verse of that Psalm. And very often in the Bible, if not uniformly in the Bible, where a part of a Scripture is cited, we are meant to go and look at the rest of it. And so Jesus is saying, from the cross, “You want my perspective of what’s going on here, read Psalm 22.”
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Dr. Liam Goligher was Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church from May of 2011 until December of 2023. He previously pastored churches in Ireland, Canada, England, and his native Scotland.
Dr. Goligher has been closely involved in Bible teaching and evangelistic ministry...