Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                 Chapter Nineteen

                                                                                                                                               Verses 19-22

Pilate wrote a title in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin and put it on the cross of Jesus. Pilate's intention was clear. Pilate wanted the whole Western world to know that if the Romans could nail the king of the Jews to a cross and kill Him with the approval of the Jewish leaders, then the message could only be that the Romans had finally completely subdued the Jewish people. Even if this  title were only symbolic, its effect on the Jewish people would be the same. That sign would discourage the Jewish people from revolt against Roman rule because they would know that their leaders had allowed a man who claimed to be their king to be crucified by the Romans. They would know that their leaders had submitted to Roman rule.

The Jewish leaders must have realized the significance of the message that Pilate had sent to the people. They protested to Pilate that he should change the title to read that Jesus had only claimed to be the king of the Jews. Pilate told them that he had sent his message to the people, and there was nothing their leaders could do about it.

                                                                                                                                                 Verses 23-24

Apparently, Jesus wore four undergarments beneath His robe. Four Roman soldiers divided these four garments among themselves. Why did they do that? Logic would assume that they would have no desire to wear these clothes, and they could not have been worth much in terms of money. A good answer would be that the Holy Spirit compelled them to do that because He had prophesied that they would do that. Psalm 22:18. But why would God have them do that? God must have attached a symbolic meaning to what these soldiers did. One can only speculate. Bible (KJB) readers know that God completed His material creation of His universe on the fourth day before He created any life. Genesis 1:14-19. The main philosophy that the Devil uses to cause millions of humans to allow their evil natures to dominate their lives happens to be the materialistic philosophy that life arose in a material universe without the need for God's creation of life. Many people have always believed this atheistic philosophy. Darwin just spelled it out for them in detail. After Darwin, whole nations turned to this atheistic philosophy and to their evil natures which caused horrible wars and the murders of millions of innocent people. These Roman soldiers who divided Jesus' four garments could very well have been acting out a prophecy that in the future the Devil would use a materialistic and atheistic philosophy to deceive millions of people and cause them to allow their evil natures to dominate their lives in their attempt to murder God and get rid of Him.

Jesus wore an outer robe that was seamless; that is, woven throughout. The Romans soldiers decided not to tear it but to gamble for who would own it. God also must have had a symbolic meaning for what those soldiers did. The robe of Jesus could have symbolized the Oneness of the Being of God. Jesus' robe was not sown together. This means that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not parts of God. Jesus is wholly God, the Father is wholly God, and the Holy Spirit is wholly God. God is Infinite. Psalm 147:5. Any part of the Infinite must equal the Infinite. This means the Infinite cannot have parts. It is absolutely whole, and yet, if it is whole it cannot be Infinite. Infinity seems to be both moving and at rest at the same time. Revelation 22:13. This fact happens to be a truth about God that the limited minds of humans will never be able to understand. In symbolic form and in prophecy, these Roman soldiers gambled for who would be able to gain possession of God Himself. Another philosophy that the Devil uses to deceive people happens to be that humans can realize that they are gods themselves who do not need God. The Devil used that same deception on Eve. Genesis 3:1-5. God used the gambling of the soldiers for Jesus' robe to symbolize that in the future the Devil would deceive many people into believing that humans can be gods with no need for God Himself. This is all part of the history of the human race. That history happens to be based on the evil desire to murder God and get rid of Him. Yet, in His great Love for humanity, God suffered and died on a cross and rose from the dead to save all living humans even though they all have had the evil desire to murder Him that was put into them by the Devil. John 3:16. The spiritual death that the Devil injects into all living humans inevitably causes them all, at one time or another, to desire to murder God. The Devil has this same desire for which he will never repent. But all living humans that God creates and loves will repent and believe in Christ which will invoke His compassion for them and His salvation of them. John 5:24; Revelation 5:11-14; II Peter 3:9.