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MAY 11
HIS CLOTHING, MY CLOTHING
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and
made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic
(χιτὼν) was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said
therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it
shall be,’ that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: ‘They divided my
garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.’” (Jn 19: 23-4;
Ps 21/22: 18)
Today let me reflect a bit on this humiliating detail of my Lord’s passion:
the dividing of His “garments” (outer clothing) and casting of lots for His
“tunic” (the undergarment), the removal of which left His body naked.
Christ’s clothing was that of an ordinary Jew of His time, but His “tunic”
was seamless (a detail recorded only in the Gospel of John), like the
tunics of the high-priests.
There is much to be said about Christ’s clothing, but I will note just
the following, to contemplate for today. My Lord humbled Himself, by
wearing ordinary clothing. Ever since God lovingly clothed Adam and
Eve with “tunics of skin,“ because they had realized they were naked
after their sin (Gen 3:21), human clothing became a sign both of humility
and self-knowledge.
But the God-Man transformed the meaning of our clothing, both by
wearing it on His sinless, sacred body, and being stripped of it: “...being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2: 8), when His clothing
was taken and divided amongst His executioners. He was stripped at His
crucifixion, only to be “clothed with majesty” (Ps 92/93:1),–and to clothe
us with His majesty–in His resurrection.
Whatever clothing I wear today, I remember the precious and simple fact
that my Lord wore clothing, and was stripped of clothing, for my sake. My
clothing “matters” and has new meaning, new dignity, in Him, in His one
Body: ”For all of you who were baptized into Christ,” the Apostle reminds
me, “have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3: 27).
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