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“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,' that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: 'They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.' Therefore the soldiers did these things.” (John 19.23-24; emphasis mine, jb).

Fulfilled Scripture

“Therefore the soldiers did these things.” The word therefore in the cited text states a purpose or reason why the soldiers did these things. On one level, they cast lots for Jesus' tunic because it was seamless and therefore valuable or different than the rest of His clothing. But, on another level, they did these things so that the scriptures might be fulfilled. There was the apparent cause (i.e. the tunic was seamless) and there was the ultimate cause (i.e. that the scripture might be fulfilled); our focus will be on the ultimate cause for their actions.

Consider another event with me that occurred after His resurrection and just before His ascension to the Father. “Then He [Jesus] said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.' And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.'” (Luke 24.44-49; emphasis mine, jb).

According to John, the soldiers cast lots for Jesus' tunic that the scriptures might be fulfilled. According to Jesus, the entirety of the Old Testament (“the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms”) contained prophetic references to His life, His ministry, His death, His resurrection, and beyond! In other words, the whole of Jesus' life and mission were defined and foretold in the Old Testament scriptures. Again, there were the apparent causes for the things done to Jesus, and there were the ultimate causes. Just as was the case with the soldiers and the apparent cause of casting lots for the tunic of Jesus, so it was with His entire life and work. The things that were done to Him were, at least many of them, were done ultimately because they were prophesied in Scripture!

Consider one other passage spoken by the inspired apostle Peter. Its setting is a few weeks beyond the passage from Luke 24 (above) and after the apostles had become His witnesses in Jerusalem. It is taken from a sermon that Peter delivered (after his Pentecost sermon) in Jerusalem. “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it [crucified Jesus] in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.” (Acts 3.17-18; emphasis mine, jb). Note carefully Peter's claim that God had foretold matters concerning Jesus “by the mouth of all His prophets.” That is an extremely broad-reaching claim and one that directly fits the main topic of our discussion, namely that there were apparent causes and there were ultimate causes as to the events surrounding the life and death of Jesus Christ.

Fulfilled Scripture is one of the primary evidences that Jesus is Messiah. (continued).

Questions:

1. Who were “all of His prophets” of which Peter spoke? Are they not the same as “the Law of Moses and the Prophets, and the Psalms” from Luke 24? Why or why not?

2. According to Peter, who foretold these things “by the mouth of all His prophets”?

3. What is implied by the fact that all the prophets spoke words from God?

4. How was it that they spoke God's word and that these things were later fulfilled? According to the Bible, is it possible that these things just happened by chance? Why or why not?

"'Christ in You...'" from Dale Krebbs

Longing For God