Page 97 - laten-08-06-2020

Soldiers

Who Cast Lots

Matthew 27:35; John 19:24
Introduction

et us try to re-image the of soldiers encountering the cross.
LOn one hand we see Jesus hanging on the Cross bruised,
beaten and bleeding and on the other we see the soldiers casting
lots for the clothes of Jesus. We understand that Jesus had already
given all that he had but the soldiers are trying to take a little
more from him. To extract the message behind this encounter,
one has to look into the context of crucifixion.

The life of a soldier in the Roman Empire was very
straight forward: protect the empire, fight the battles and follow
the orders given. The ones who were at the crucifixion had
mainly three Jobs: Carry out the execution, maintain the order
and make sure no one interferes with the execution. There are no
incentives other than the possessions of the criminal/victim at
the time of the execution. Taking the victim’s clothes, which was
once a custom, had eventually become a right of the soldiers,
was done to take away the remaining dignity and honour, if any
was left, so that the victim is shattered and robbed even from the
inside.

Nakedness according to Jewish tradition is not acceptable
in a social context. To be naked is to lose honour and modesty.
In addition to this, a person who is a king, priest or a rabbi or
any divine representative should not reveal themselves publicly
as they were representing God. So stripping Jesus’s clothes is not
only to make Jesus feel dishonoured, shameful and defenceless
but also to mock at the Jewish tradition. Since Jesus claimed
himself to be the Son of God, making him go through this would
show the crowd of the shame that the empire has brought upon
the victim and his religious tradition.

91
Lenten Meditations Re - Imaging People