View this lesson in a browser and print a "take-away" weekly copy. CLICK HERE (see link below)
“They Parted My Garments”
“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture”(Ps. 22:18).
It’s hard to imagine the humiliation Jesus was to endure. After the mock ceremony of the soldiers, He is brought to the cross and then, there, stripped of the last vestiges of His earthly possessions, the clothes off His back. Beaten, rejected, humiliated, mocked, and now stripped and crucified, Jesus was, indeed, drinking the bitter cup that, from “the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8), was to be His.
Read John 19:23, 24 (see also Matt. 27:35). What prophetic significance does the Bible give to what happened there, and why is it important?
Here is the greatest act in all cosmic history unfolding right before them, and these soldiers are dealing with something as petty as dividing up the clothes of one of the victims!
And yet, their action itself isn’t so trivial, because the Bible shows that what the soldiers did was a fulfillment of prophecy. John directly links it to the Psalm, saying that it happened so that “the scripture might be fulfilled” (Matthew does, as well), thus giving us more evidence for our faith.
Think, too, what this could have meant to Jesus, as well. The weight of the world’s sin falling on Him, the separation from the Father bearing down on Him, Jesus then sees these soldiers, right beneath Him, dividing up His clothing and casting lots, all in a fulfillment of prophecy. This easily could have given Him extra courage to endure what He was facing on the cross. These actions by the soldiers were more evidence that, no matter how terrible His trial, no matter how dreadful the suffering, prophecy was being fulfilled, His earthly ministry was nearing its grand climax, and the provision would be made that would give salvation to any human being who claimed it by faith. Thus, Jesus had to endure, and He did.
What biblical prophecies have you found the most faith affirming, especially in times of need, especially in times when trials have tested your faith?
| THURSDAY | June 16 |
“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture”(Ps. 22:18).
It’s hard to imagine the humiliation Jesus was to endure. After the mock ceremony of the soldiers, He is brought to the cross and then, there, stripped of the last vestiges of His earthly possessions, the clothes off His back. Beaten, rejected, humiliated, mocked, and now stripped and crucified, Jesus was, indeed, drinking the bitter cup that, from “the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8), was to be His.
Read John 19:23, 24 (see also Matt. 27:35). What prophetic significance does the Bible give to what happened there, and why is it important?
Here is the greatest act in all cosmic history unfolding right before them, and these soldiers are dealing with something as petty as dividing up the clothes of one of the victims!
And yet, their action itself isn’t so trivial, because the Bible shows that what the soldiers did was a fulfillment of prophecy. John directly links it to the Psalm, saying that it happened so that “the scripture might be fulfilled” (Matthew does, as well), thus giving us more evidence for our faith.
Think, too, what this could have meant to Jesus, as well. The weight of the world’s sin falling on Him, the separation from the Father bearing down on Him, Jesus then sees these soldiers, right beneath Him, dividing up His clothing and casting lots, all in a fulfillment of prophecy. This easily could have given Him extra courage to endure what He was facing on the cross. These actions by the soldiers were more evidence that, no matter how terrible His trial, no matter how dreadful the suffering, prophecy was being fulfilled, His earthly ministry was nearing its grand climax, and the provision would be made that would give salvation to any human being who claimed it by faith. Thus, Jesus had to endure, and He did.
What biblical prophecies have you found the most faith affirming, especially in times of need, especially in times when trials have tested your faith?
No comments:
Post a Comment