LEARNING DAILY

 

Luke 23: 34b, And they divided His clothing and cast lots.

 

The death of Jesus on the cross is the central focus of this entire event.  But I have always been curious about the rest of the people who were there and were not there.  There were those there who mocked and spit upon Him saying He saved others but could not save Himself.  There were those who watched, mourning what was happening.  Then there were the guards who had nailed Him to the cross.

 

The guards were unaffected by what they had done.  I suppose they had crucified many before Him and this merciless form of execution no longer touched their hearts.  At the foot of this cross, they gambled for the clothing He had worn, unaware and uncaring that they had caused His suffering.  The Lord Jesus had forgiven them for what they had done – it was just another execution to them.  What else did He think when He saw what they were doing?

 

Think about where they stood.  They had already forgotten about this cross, perhaps just wanting the process to be done so they could leave.  Or perhaps, this was just part of the process to be recognized in order to be promoted.  Max Lucado presents the idea that they were so close to the cross but so far away from Christ.  Permit me to borrow some thoughts Max Lucado has written in his book No Wonder They call Him The Savior. 

 

He suggests the soldiers are not too different from us.  “We, too, play games at the foot of the cross.  We compete for members.  We scramble for status.  We deal out judgments and condemnations.  Competition.  Selfishness. Personal gain.  It’s all there.  We don’t like what the other did so we take the sandal we won and walk away in a huff.”  (Max Lucado).  In other words, we let those trivial matters get to us to the point that they become larger than they need to be.  We walk near the cross and only act or talk like Christ.  Oh, the attempt might be there but there is no power behind the words or actions; honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ is not part of the equation.  The reason is not really knowing who He really is.

 

The apostle Paul wrote that we are different members of one body; each of us is to play our own part.  Jesus prayed that each of His followers would be unified in thought and deed.  I think of the different denomination of churches each having their own set of beliefs about the doctrines of the Bible.  Lucado asks that you and I consider just being Christians without denominations led only by Christ.  What would that be like?  I know that is what eternity will be like.  No lots being cast there, just those of us who have chosen to walk close to Christ. 

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.