Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 27:35

"And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots;" — Matthew 27:35 (ASV)

And parted his garments, casting lots:

Rattling the dice-box at the foot of the cross! Gambling is the most hardening of all vices. I believe that crimes have been committed by persons, under the influence of gambling, which never could have been committed by them in any other condition of mind: They parted his garments, casting lots. See here, you gamblers! With Christ's blood bespattering them, these soldiers dared still to raffle for his robe.

And parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

It was the executioners' privilege to have the garments of the man they put to death; so, in order that no single portion of the shame of the cross might be spared the Saviour, these soldiers divided his garments among them, and raffled for his seamless robe. It must have taken a hard heart to gamble at the foot of the cross; but I suppose that, of all sins under heaven, there is none that so hardens the heart as gambling. Beware of it!

And they crucified him,

Horrible scene, to see those blessed hands and feet pierced with nails, and fastened to the cross!

There is a world of meaning in that short sentence, and they crucified Him, driving their bolts of iron through His blessed hands and feet, fastening Him to the cross, and lifting Him up to hang there upon a gibbet reserved for felons.

We can scarcely realize all that the crucifixion meant to our dear Lord, but we can join in Faber’s prayer:

“Lord Jesus! may we love and weep,”
Since You for us are crucified.

Then was fulfilled all that our Lord had foretold in chapter 20:17-19, except His resurrection, as the time for it had not yet come.

The criminals’ clothes were the executioners’ perquisite. The Roman soldiers who crucified Christ had no thought of fulfilling the Scriptures when they parted His garments, casting lots; yet their action was exactly that which had been foretold in Psalm 22:18.

The seamless robe would have been spoiled if it had been torn, so the soldiers raffled for the vesture while they shared the other garments of our Lord. The dice would be almost stained with the blood of Christ, yet the gamblers played on beneath the shadow of His cross.

Gambling is the most hardening of all vices. Beware of it in any form! No games of chance should be played by Christians, for the blood of Christ seems to have bespattered them all.

And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

There is a world of meaning in that short sentence, "and they crucified him," driving their bolts of iron through his blessed hands and feet, fastening him to the cross, and lifting him up to hang there upon a gibbet reserved for felons. We can scarcely realize all that the crucifixion meant to our dear Lord; but we can join in Faber's prayer: –

"Lord Jesus! may we love and weep,
Since you for us are crucified."

Then was fulfilled all that our Lord had foretold in Matthew 20:17-19, except his resurrection, the time for which had not arrived. The criminal's clothes were the executioners' perquisite. The Roman soldiers who crucified Christ had no thought of fulfilling the Scriptures when they parted his garments, casting lots; yet their action was exactly that which had been foretold in Psalm 22:18. The seamless robe would have been spoiled if it had been torn, so the soldiers raffled for the vesture, while they shared the other garments of our Lord. The dice would be almost stained with the blood of Christ, yet the gamblers played on beneath the shadow of his cross.

Gambling is the most hardening of all vices. Beware of it in any form! No games of chance should be played by Christians, for the blood of Christ seems to have bespattered them all.

And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

This is a point about which we cannot say much, but, to the uniquely sensitive soul of Jesus, it must have been a great part of His shame to be stripped in this way of every garment, and hung up before the sun.

And they crucified him—

A short sentence, but what an awful depth of meaning there is in it! "They crucified him,"—driving their iron bolts through his hands and feet, and lifting him up to hang there upon the gibbet which was reserved for felons and for slaves: "They crucified him,"—