Greed
“When the solders crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
‘Let’s not tear it,’ they said to one another. ‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.’
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, ‘They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.’ So this is what the soldiers did.” (John 19:23)
Greed is a subtle theme woven throughout the story of Holy Week. In Mark 11:15-17, we see a dramatic display of Jesus’s indignation at the Temple. He enters the courts and drives out the people who are buying and selling, claiming that they are turning His Father’s house into a den of robbers. The vendors and money changers are taking advantage of the people who are coming to make sacrifices at the Temple, in order to make a greater profit for themselves.
Greed also seems to be a motivating factor in Judas’s decision to betray Jesus. In the gospel of John (John 12:4-6), we read that Judas objects to Mary anointing Jesus, not because he wants to save the money for the poor but rather because he is keeping some of the disciples’ money for himself. In the end, Judas agrees to betray Jesus to the chief priests in exchange for thirty pieces of silver.
Greed continues to be alive and well at the cross. The soldiers take Jesus’s clothes and divide them among themselves. Recognizing the value of His seamless undergarment, they decide to cast lots for it. Likely, they are planning to sell or trade these items. It’s hard to imagine that any of them would wear the clothing or sandals of a condemned man. And what need would any of them have for a Jewish prayer shawl? But Jesus’s clothing offers the soldiers an opportunity to get ahead, and they take it. They can get something in exchange for these items, however small.
But, I find myself wondering what happens to Jesus’s clothing after He dies. Maybe the soldiers place the items at the foot of the cross. Maybe the one holding the prized undergarment turns and gives it to Mary, certain that she must be Jesus’s mother. What I do know is that it’s unimaginable for the soldiers to keep Jesus’s things after witnessing His death. Greed no longer has any place in this scene.
