Winner or Loser
John 19:23-24 After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his tunic. It was all one piece of cloth woven from top to bottom. So the soldiers said to each other, "We should not tear this into parts. Let's throw lots to see who will get it." This happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Scriptures say, "They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for what I was wearing." So the soldiers did this.
I don’t know about you – but it’s nice to have a bit of money. To put food on the table, a roof over your head and every now and then the odd little luxury. All that’s a good thing and these days, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the more financial you are, the more successful you are.
And on the flip side, the less you have, the more of a failure you are. Honestly, in affluent societies, people look down their noses at the not-so-well-off. Sad, but true.
So let me ask you … what would you call a man who talked big, who promised so much and yet, who died without even owning the shirt on his back. A loser perhaps?
After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his tunic. It was all one piece of cloth woven from top to bottom. So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. Let’s throw lots to see who will get it.” This happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Scriptures say, “They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for what I was wearing.” So the soldiers did this. (John 19:23-24)
This Jesus had promised so much. The powerful preaching. The amazing miracles. His willingness to stand up to the hypocrisy of the powerful religious leaders of the day. He’d pulled massive crowds who hung on his every word. And yet there He hung, nailed to that cross, bloodied and beaten, suffering, dying, without even the shirt on His back.
Honestly, to the world, in that moment, to the people looking on in shock, He looked like the biggest loser of all time – this man who’d claimed to be the Messiah. Now, He was the biggest loser.
But what He lost, He lost for you and me. So that in this … this transaction of grace, you and I could be winners. In fact, right in that moment, as the world looked on at this biggest loser of all time, Jesus won the greatest victory in all of history.
He won forgiveness and eternal life for everybody – you and me included – who would put their trust in Him.
That’s it. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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