The Providence Behind Dividing Jesus’ Outer Garment and Casting Lots for His Inner Robe
Let us learn about the providence behind the Roman soldiers dividing Jesus’ outer garment into four parts and casting lots for His inner robe, and how this relates to the history of Israel.
Read:
John 19:23–24
“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His garments and made four parts, one for each soldier, and also the tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.”
Memory Verse:
Matthew 24:34
“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”
Reference Verse:
Psalm 22:18
“They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
Jesus wore a crown of thorns on His head and was scourged severely until His whole body was covered with blood. Then He arrived at Golgotha, the place of execution.
After crucifying Him, the Roman soldiers took His outer garments and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier.
However, they did not tear His inner robe but cast lots for it.
In this event lies the deep providence of God.
1. The Providence Behind Dividing Jesus’ Outer Garment into Four Parts
John 19:23–24 says,
“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His garments and made four parts, one for each soldier, and also the tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.’”
Why did God record these details about Jesus’ outer and inner garments so precisely?
The answer can be found through the history of Israel after A.D. 70.
Jesus came as the King of the Jews, so His outer garment symbolizes Israel, the Jewish nation.
After Jesus was crucified, the Roman soldiers took His outer garment and divided it into four parts, destroying its original form.
This act symbolized that the nation of Israel would be destroyed and cease to exist as a unified state.
However, the soldiers each received one piece of the garment, meaning that even though the nation would perish, the name of Israel would remain.
Just as the garment was divided into four pieces, Israel was destroyed in A.D. 70, and the people were scattered in all directions — east, west, north, and south — throughout the world.
This is why the Jews have been dispersed across the nations to this very day.
When Jerusalem was conquered by the Roman general Titus, the Roman army tore down the city walls and set fire to the temple.
As the gold from the temple melted and flowed into the cracks of the stones, the soldiers tore the stones apart to collect it — fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that “not one stone will be left upon another.”
During this destruction, terrible atrocities occurred — pregnant women were killed, babies were taken from their mothers and slain, and survivors were taken as captives and slaves to foreign lands.
Why did Israel face such great suffering and disaster?
In Matthew 27, when Pilate feared a riot and handed Jesus over to be crucified, he said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
Then the Jews cried out, “Let His blood be on us and on our children!”
As they declared, they later shed much blood.
When Jerusalem fell to the Romans in A.D. 70, about 1.1 million Jews were killed.
During World War II, about six million Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis.
The very words they shouted at Jesus’ crucifixion — “Let His blood be on us and on our children” — became a snare, and history saw them stripped and killed, suffering a terrible judgment.
2. The Meaning of the Seamless Inner Robe
John 19:23 also says,
“This tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.”
The phrase “not sewn together” means it was not made of separate pieces of cloth stitched together, but woven whole.
Most people would not care whether a garment was woven from the top or from the bottom, yet God recorded this detail carefully.
Why?
It reveals that Israel was a pure and unified nation, not mixed with Gentile blood.
The Bible teaches that Adam is the ancestor of mankind, Abraham the father of faith, and Jacob the ancestor of Israel.
God did not call Abraham the father of Israel, but Jacob, because through Jacob came the twelve tribes, who formed the nation of Israel.
Genesis 35:10–11 says,
“Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.
I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.”
Thus, Israel began from the twelve sons of Jacob and continued as a single, pure lineage.
However, in the time of King Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the kingdom was divided into northern Israel and southern Judah.
The northern kingdom intermarried with Gentile nations and became a mixed race.
But Judah remained unmixed, keeping a pure bloodline — these are the Jews we know today.
Therefore, the statement that Jesus’ inner robe was “seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom” symbolizes that Israel, formed through Jacob, remained a pure and unified nation, unmixed with Gentile peoples.
3. The Providence Behind Not Tearing Jesus’ Inner Robe and Casting Lots for It
The inner robe represents a person’s heart.
Since Jesus is the King of Israel, His inner robe symbolizes the hearts of the people of Israel.
The Israelites, descendants of Abraham, were chosen as God’s people and worshiped the one true God.
Therefore, the fact that Jesus’ inner robe was not torn means that although the nation of Israel would lose its land, the faithful heart of the Jewish people — their devotion to God — would remain unbroken.
Even if the nation of Israel ceased to exist, the God who dwelled in their hearts could never be removed by Gentiles.
This was foretold in the Bible.
God chose Israel as His chosen people because they possessed a truly faithful and unchanging heart.
As written in Scripture, God sent Jesus to the land of Israel and continues to fulfill His providence in the end times.
Even today, the people of Israel hold firmly to the Law with a steadfast heart.
They inherited this unchanging heart from their ancestor Jacob.
Although Israel was destroyed in A.D. 70, after a very long time — in 1948 — it became independent again, astonishing the world.
Furthermore, in a short time, it rose as a highly developed nation, proving once again the excellence of the Jewish people.
Just as the Roman soldiers could not tear Jesus’ robe, no Gentile could destroy the hearts of the Israelites who serve God.
That is why they were finally restored as an independent nation and fulfilled God’s will as His chosen people.
4. The Prophecy of Israel’s History and the End Times
In Matthew 24:32–34, Jesus said:
“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.
So, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”
These words were part of Jesus’ answer to His disciples about the signs of His coming and the end of the world, containing a deep spiritual meaning.
The fig tree here symbolizes Israel.
When its leaves become tender, summer is near — just as when Israel, once destroyed, becomes independent again, the Lord’s return is near.
Although we cannot know the exact length of “this generation,” Jesus’ words will surely come true.
Since we have already witnessed Israel’s restoration, we know the time is drawing near.
Therefore, believers who await the Lord’s return must stay awake, prepare their lamps with oil, and adorn themselves as pure brides, ready to welcome the Lord with faith and joy, saying,
“Come, Lord Jesus!”
Plus
Who was Titus?
Titus was the Roman general who led the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 during the Jewish War.
He later became emperor and faced tragic events such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which buried the city of Pompeii, as well as the great fire and plague in Rome.
Despite these disasters, he worked to rebuild the city and complete humanitarian efforts.
He also completed the construction of the Colosseum, which had been started by the previous emperor.