The Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Clothes

They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be," in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled [that says]: "They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots." (John 19:23b-24)

Jesus is stripped of His clothing, and the guards each take a piece for themselves. It’s barbaric, and cruel. It is interesting to note here that the tunic was not divided or torn.

In the Gospel of John, the mention of the tunic is significant, because the priests in the Temple wore seamless garments. This garment set them apart and marked them as priests of God. The work that the priests of Jerusalem were doing this day as Jesus hung from the cross was the same as the work Jesus was doing on the cross. The Passover lambs were being slaughtered, offered for the deliverance of the people, offered by the priests who had been given the power and the authority to do so. The priests in the temple were covered in the blood of the symbolic lambs. The priest on the cross was covered in the blood of the last sacrifice required by God, the true Lamb, given for the forgiveness of all sins for all time.

Jesus fulfills many roles: priest, victim, temple, food, Son, Savior, etc. What role does Jesus play most prominently in your life right now?

If you’re just now jumping in, find the rest of the Stations of the Cross here.