Station 10 – Jesus’ Clothes Are Taken Away
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was 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. – John 19:23-24
Jesus Christ, God with Us, surrendered himself to us through his love on the day He was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. He put no conditions on his surrender other than that we witness his love for us and love him in return.
It is one thing to sacrifice one’s self for a cause, say in a battle or in a life-long struggle, or by dedicating one’s own life to something or someone that is dearly loved. By all Human standards, it is quite another to stand by and allow one’s self to be tortured and humiliated by one’s oppressors when one simply doesn’t have to. Isn’t that true? Who would? Certainly not God himself!
But wait, He did just that. God as Jesus came to us all-in with his love for Humanity. He left nothing out, held nothing back, and He never changed the rules after the figurative game began. Jesus stepped right up and took everything we could dish out to him. In our best Human form we betrayed him, we beat him nearly to death, and we took from him everything we could; right down to the clothes he wore and every last bit of his human dignity.
Yet he carried that cross and let us nail him to it with our deadly intent. He hung out in the sun dying and still he asked his Father to forgive us – forgive us – for having put him there. He died naked, beaten, bleeding and broken and all the while asking us to join him in Heaven. How can I not love that man for His gift?
Those of us who wish to die in peace sleeping in our own beds might take a moment to reflect on Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, who gave all that up to die as He did for no other reason than that He loved us so very much. Unconditionally. Eternally. And He still does.
-Barry Marks
