After the soldiers completed their objective to crucify Jesus, they sat down to keep watch. Having nothing to occupy them, they “took his garments and divided them four ways, one for each soldier” (Jn. 19:23). Grabbing Jesus’ tunic, they noticed it was seamless, probably worth money, so they decided to cast lots for the whole piece. John’s gospel claims this fulfilled the Scripture “for my clothing they cast lots.”  How did the prize winner feel, and what did he do with the tunic? Was the tunic kept for himself, given to a son or friend, sold? Whoever it was, the recipient was privileged to be clothed in Jesus’ own tunic. The rest of the story is left to our imagination. (Maybe some day I’ll write a children’s book about the tunic.)

For now, let’s raise the account to a mystical, sacramental level. In Galatians 3:27 we read “All of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with him.” (Perhaps these words were part of an ancient baptismal formula.) Remember when you were a small child, you put on your mom’s high heels or tried on her hat. Did you feel like your mom? Were you grown up? Did you think “someday…”? Since the day of our baptism, we have “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14). Do we feel like Christ, try to imitate Him, realize we are growing up into Him? As a kid, perhaps we quickly hid the evidence that we were in Mom’s things. As a baptized adult, we have the responsibility of witnessing the clothes of Christ we wear. A little suggestion for the rest of Lent: When you dress, say, “I have been clothed in Christ.” And that’s the whole undivided truth.