The fulfillment of Psalm 22

The Gospel accounts of the crucifixion preserve a small but theologically dense detail: as Jesus hung on the cross, Roman soldiers divided His garments and cast lots for His tunic.

On the surface, the action appears trivial, especially when set beside the violence and agony of crucifixion. Yet the evangelists treat it with deliberate attention.

John, in particular, pauses to explain why the soldiers gambled rather than tore the garment.

From a historical standpoint, the soldiers’ actions were entirely ordinary. Roman execution squads were customarily granted the belongings of the condemned as part of their compensation. Crucifixion was not only a means of execution but also a ritualized act of public degradation. Stripping the victim exposed the body to shame, reinforcing Rome’s power over those it condemned.

So the soldiers’ claim on Jesus’ clothing was neither exceptional nor personal. It was normal Roman procedure.

The soldiers were not portrayed as morally reflective agents wrestling with guilt or belief. They are professionals doing their job. Their behavior represents not active hostility toward Jesus’ identity, but rather, functional indifference. To them, Jesus is not a messianic figure or a theological problem. He is a dying man whose possessions are now unclaimed. The crucifixion unfolds, in part, under the weight of human disinterest.

John tells us that Jesus’ outer garments were divided into four parts, likely one for each soldier. But the tunic was different. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So instead of tearing it, the soldiers cast lots to determine ownership.

John frames this act within Scripture, citing Psalm 22, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

The citation is not incidental. Psalm 22 is a lament spoken by a righteous sufferer who experiences abandonment, mockery, and exposure. Long before crucifixion became a Roman instrument of death, this psalm had long articulated the theological pattern of innocent suffering under the gaze of indifferent observers.

John’s point is not that the soldiers intended to fulfill prophecy, but that God’s redemptive purposes are realized even through unknowing human actions. Indeed, what has been prophesied in the name of God, no one could keep from happening.

This distinction is crucial for theology. Fulfillment here does not arise from conscious obedience, but from divine sovereignty operating through ordinary human behavior. The soldiers did not quote Scripture yet they enacted it unknowingly.

The fulfillment of Psalm 22 occurs not through worship, but through routine. This reframes how divine action is understood in the passion narrative, God’s purposes are never dependent on human awareness or moral alignment.

The seamless tunic itself carries further theological meaning. John does not explicitly interpret its significance, yet its description invites reflection. In Israel’s Scriptures, priestly garments, particularly those associated with sacred service, were often described as woven in one piece (Exod. 28).

While John refrains from allegory, the image remains suggestive. Jesus is stripped at the moment He offers Himself, embodying both priest and sacrifice. His exposure was not merely physical but symbolic. He bears the shame so that reconciliation may occur.

What sharpens the theological weight of this scene is its silence. There was no dialogue between Jesus and the soldiers. No mockery was recorded here, only mere calculation.

While the Son of God was enacting the climactic act of obedience, the surrounding human activity was focused on material gain. The contrast here is stark. Salvation is being accomplished, while those closest to it are preoccupied with fabric and casting lots.

This reveals the great extent of sin in the biblical narrative. Evil does not always manifest as overt rebellion or violence. Often, it appears as disengagement, the capacity to stand near suffering without perceiving its significance. The soldiers’ gambling illustrates how divine work can unfold amid human distraction.

Theologically, then, this scene holds together three realities, Roman justice was proceeding as usual, Scripture was being fulfilled with precision, and human beings were remaining largely unaware of the weight of what is taking place.

The cross is surrounded not only by hatred and misunderstanding, but by people who simply do not notice.

In this light, the soldiers’ actions are not a footnote to the crucifixion. They are a mirror. They reveal how easily humanity can be present at the center of God’s saving work and yet treat it as incidental. The garments were claimed. The tunic was gambled for. And redemption moved forward, not because the world recognized it, but because God is faithful to complete what He has promised.

Article : Undaunted Disciple / Facebook

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1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”