Writings by Barri Cae MallinThe CasinoThursday 13 April 2006 - 09:56:57Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and {also} the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, {to decide} whose it shall be"; {this was} to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS." John 19:23-24 I cannot imagine how Yeshua Jesus endured the suffering at His crucifixion. To hear the wails, to feel the pain, to look out to see that almost all had deserted Him. And to hear the clink of the dice as the soldiers gambled for His underwear. Yeshua was crucified naked. Publicly exposed, openly exposed, every part of Him. In the very public place along the high traffic area, just outside the gate, there He hung unclothed, naked. Josephus, the historian, tells us that more than three million pilgrims visited Jerusalem during the Passover feast. Judaism places utmost importance on modesty, and nakedness exposed was the utmost shame. As Yeshua Jesus writhed in pain and agony, with the taste of death in His mouth, the soldiers gambled for His underwear. These were the 'perks' of their job they could have the condemned criminal's clothing. The clink of the dice could be heard, echoing amid wailing and groans. We read much about the tallit that covers men's shoulders during Saturday morning Shacharit Shabbat services. That is the tallit gadol. It is also known as the prayer shawl. But Yeshua's undergarment was the tallit katan, the little tallit. Orthodox Jewish men still wear the tallit katan today. It is an undergarment, similar in looks to a sleeveless tee shirt, and it has the tzitzit, the fringes at all four corners. God said: "Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, Numbers 15:38-39 The most sacred item of clothing belonging to Yeshua was His tallit katan. Now it was being gambled away, as a useless piece of cloth. Yet this was necessary. The dice game at the foot of the cross was necessary for yours and my salvation. Yeshua Jesus won for us through His death the great exchange - beauty for ashes, joy in place of sorrow, and our filthy rags (Isa. 64:6) for His garment of salvation. And what garments are these! These are splendid garments, not only for now but for forever. One size fits all! The lilies are not arrayed such as this, neither was Solomon in all of his regalia. Think of your closet and your most cherished piece of apparel. That item pales in comparison to your garment of salvation. The great prayer shawl, the tallit gadol pales in comparison to the tallit katan, the little tallit. Isn't that just how God does it? The humble are magnified over the mighty. Rejoice, o saint of God. The LORD has done great things for you, be glad and rejoice. "Now therefore arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might; let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation and let Your godly ones rejoice in what is good. II Chron 6:41 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your godly ones sing for joy. Ps. 132:9 'He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Rev. 3:5 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isa. 61:10 |
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