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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to John's Gospel, John chapter 19. John chapter 19, our focus this 
morning will be verses 23 to 27, as we stand at the foot of 
the cross and witness one of the most, or the most rather, 
significant event that has ever occurred in the history of man, 
the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. I do want to pick up 
reading in verse 16 at chapter 19. Then He, that's Pontius Pilate, 
delivered Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, to them, the soldiers, 
to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led 
Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called 
the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha, where 
they crucified Him and two others with Him, one on either side 
and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title and 
put it on the cross, and the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth, 
the King of the Jews. Then many of the Jews read this 
title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, 
and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the 
chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write the King 
of the Jews, but he said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate 
answered, What I have written, I have written. 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. Now, there stood by the cross 
of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, 
and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his 
mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said 
to his mother, woman, behold your son. Then he said to the 
disciple, behold your mother. And from that hour, that disciple 
took her to his own home. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we come to this passage of holy scripture, 
a holy of holies in the word of God, and we pray that you 
would help us to approach it with reverence, with awe, with 
great love and adoration and worship, the great lengths that 
our Savior went to on our behalf to give himself as a sacrifice 
for our sins. We thank you for so great a salvation. We thank you that you have blessed 
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ 
Jesus. We pray that you would multiply 
those blessings to others in our midst that are dead in their 
trespasses and sins. We pray that you would awaken 
effectually by the Holy Spirit those who are in darkness and 
call them forth to faith in the Son of God who loved sinners 
and who gave himself for sinners. Do forgive us and cleanse us 
now from all unrighteousness and everything that darkens our 
mind and understanding. God, guide us by your Holy Spirit 
as we look with awe at this passage of Holy Writ, and we pray in 
Jesus' name, amen. Well, as we've worked our way 
through the passion narrative of our Lord Jesus Christ, we 
see in John 18 that he's arrested and that he is first appears 
before, or first he appears before Annas, the high priest, and then 
Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, and then they turn him over to Pontius 
Pilate, Pilate sends him over to Herod, Herod sends him back 
to Pilate, and now Pilate renders this guilty verdict. Remember 
there was blackmail exercised on Pilate by the Sanhedrin, the 
unbelieving Jews blackmailed him. They say so much in John 
19 when they're dealing with Pontius Pilate. So then they 
question Pilate's title of Jesus on the cross, Jesus of Nazareth, 
the King of the Jews. And in verse 22, Pilate answered, 
what I have written, I have written. It was his last act of defiance 
to this political blackmail. But nevertheless, he carries 
out this act, this tragedy, but we know that ultimately God the 
Father had ordained it for the salvation of all those whom the 
Father had given to the Son. So when you look at verse 16, 
we're to read that, then he delivered him. in two ways. We've got Judas, 
we've got the Sanhedrin, we've got Pontius Pilate, we've got 
the godless multitudes crying out, away with him, away with 
him, crucify him. But we need to read it theological. 
God delivered up his own son. The prophet Isaiah says, it pleased 
Yahweh to bruise him. and he has put him to grief. 
John 8, 32, the apostle says that God, who did not spare his 
son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with 
him also freely give us all things? So what we see in terms of the 
wickedness of man is ultimately the providence, the purpose, 
and the plan of God to save His people from their sins. So as 
we continue now, as I mentioned, we're at the foot of the cross. 
We're seeing what's going on. Remember that none of the gospel 
writers get into the physical torture and the gore and the 
blood and all the things that Hollywood and all the things 
that artists have picked up. but rather they show us those 
things that are most important in terms of our theological understandings. We've seen the crucifixion of 
the Lord in 16b to 22. We pick up this morning at the 
division of His garments in verses 23 to 24, and then finally his 
care for his mother in verses 25 to 27. But note with me first 
under the division of his garments in verse 23, 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. So this was a custom for Roman 
soldiers. When you put a man to death, 
you got to take his property. You got to take his garments. 
For us in a thrift store ridden age, garments don't hold as much 
sway. But in the scriptures, it was 
very valuable. It was a prized possession. And 
here we see that the soldiers are capitalizing on that. It 
says initially that they divided his garments and made four parts, 
a part to each of the soldier. That was the outer garments. 
So they're likely a cloak, but it could have been the constituent 
parts, belt, sandals, head covering, whatever they could, they divided 
amongst themselves. But then notice the amount of 
space spent on this tunic. The tunic is the undergarment, 
and that 23B and 24a speak specifically about this tunic, I think John, 
especially based on what we've seen in John's gospel, wants 
us to think theologically. He wants us to think antitypically. He wants us to think that more 
is going on than just this stripping of his garments and dividing 
them up. So with reference to the tunic, as I said, a space 
of a whole verse is given to it. So the tunic is the inner 
garment, and because of the amount of space on this tunic, as I 
suggest, there ought to be a spiritual or a theological application. And I think that this is enforced 
when we consider that in the Greek translation of the Old 
Testament, you find that this language of woven applies to 
priestly garments. So the options with reference 
to a more spiritual interpretation or theological interpretation 
is that the tunic represents the unity of believers, the tunic 
highlights the self-giving of the son, but I take it as the 
tunic evokes the imagery of the high priest. And as I said, when 
you look in the Old Testament, you see the description given 
of those men who put together the garments for the priesthood, 
they put together the tabernacle. God took artisans, he didn't 
go to Home Depot and find a few day laborers, but rather he put 
the spirit in men that were already artisans, men that were already 
accomplished in their trades, and he used them to build the 
tabernacle and to build the temple. There was no expense spared. 
It wasn't a sort of a thrift store god where you just sort 
of cobbled together a tabernacle or a temple, but no, God Most 
High demanded the best such that when you get to the temple under 
Solomon, even the hinges of the doors are made out of gold. And 
so you have these artisans, you have these craftsmen, you have 
these men that put together the fabrics and the various furnishings 
that make up tabernacle and temple and priestly garments. So the 
use of woven in the Septuagint occurs specifically with reference 
to priestly garments. As well, the reference to without 
seam emphasizes the care involved in the craftsmanship behind the 
high priestly garments. But then notice as well the tunic 
was without seam, according to verse 23, woven from the top 
in one piece. And even the soldiers said amongst 
themselves, let us not tear it, but cast lots for it. Now I doubt 
the soldiers had a mind to the books of Exodus and Leviticus. 
No more than Pontius Pilate did when he made several positive 
confessions concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, or Caiaphas in 
John chapter 11, when he basically spoke of substitutionary atonement, 
but sometimes men speak better than they know. And the fact 
that these soldiers don't want to rip apart the tunic and divide 
it into four places indicates, again, a connection to the priestly 
garments in the Old Testament. Listen to Exodus 28.32, there 
shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it. It shall 
have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening 
in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. Leviticus 21.10, 
the priest was forbidden from tearing his garments. It says, 
he who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the 
anointing oil was poured, And it was consecrated to wear the 
garments, shall not uncover his head, nor tear his clothes." 
Now brethren, we're not just jumping into verses 23 and 24 
trying to interpret the significance of a tunic and haphazardly connecting 
it to the old covenant priesthood. John has made these connections 
all throughout. When Jesus stands before Annas 
and Caiaphas, there's ambiguity as to who the high priest is. 
John's point is that Jesus is the high priest. When we see 
Jesus arrested in the garden in John 18, 12, He's bound and 
He's transported, just like the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. The fact that Jesus is arrested 
in a garden connects us with the garden in Genesis 1-3. And 
then as we move through the narrative, behold the man, Pilate announces. We see connection to Genesis 
3.22. We see his reference, behold the king, which we know that 
scripture teaches us that Christ is king. We see this reference 
to Passover sacrifice in John 19. When is Jesus trotted out 
to the place of a skull? He's trotted out to the place 
of the skull at the time of preparation for the Passover. The Apostle 
Paul will tell us that Jesus Christ is our Passover sacrifice 
in 1 Corinthians 5, 7. As well, we've got the fact that 
He's crucified between these two others, these men, these 
robbers, these thieves, these murderers, and that fulfills 
what we see in Scripture, that He was numbered with the transgressors. 
John is conspicuously connecting us back to Old Covenant revelation 
to show us that Jesus Christ is the one in whom all the promises 
of God are yea and amen. So I would suggest that when 
this tunic is referenced, it's not just a throwaway piece of 
data so that we can understand about the greediness of these 
Roman soldiers, but it's to illustrate, to highlight, to demonstrate 
once again that Christ is our high priest. And as I mentioned 
last week, the obvious implication of this particular scene is that 
the Savior was stripped naked. He is naked, hanging on the cross. I quoted Spurgeon, I'll do so 
again. The person of Christ was stripped twice, and although 
our painters, for obvious reasons, cover Christ upon the cross, 
there He hung, the naked Savior of a naked race. He who clothed 
the lilies had not wherewith to clothe himself. He who had 
clothed the earth with jewels and made for it robes of emeralds 
had not so much as a rag to conceal his nakedness from a staring, 
gazing, mocking, hard-hearted crowd. He had made coats of skins 
for Adam and Eve when they were naked in the garden. He had taken 
from them those poor fig leaves with which they sought to hide 
their nakedness, given them something wherewith they might wrap themselves 
from the cold. but now they part his garments 
among them, and for his vesture do they cast lots, while he himself, 
exposed to the pitiless storm of contempt, has no cloak with 
which to cover his shame. Rosetta B. Pink says a lot more 
succinctly but as powerfully, the sinful first Adam was clothed 
by God, the sinless last Adam was unclothed by wicked men. 
So it indicates something in terms of implication that our 
Savior hung on that cross naked. Again, we don't celebrate the 
physical gore and the details in some Roman Catholic fashion, 
but it behooves us to consider the great lengths that which 
our Savior went to to save us from our sin. But with reference 
to the high priestly office of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember 
that in the Old Testament you had prophets, you had priests, 
and you had kings. Jesus is all three. He is our 
great king. He rules us. He defends us. He governs us. He protects us. He commands us. He legislates 
for us. What did a prophet do in the 
Old Testament? The prophet came on behalf of 
God to men to tell men what God had to say. That's basic, but 
that's pretty much what they did. The priest went to God on 
behalf of men. And so when that priest goes 
to God on behalf of men, he does so in prayer, or what we might 
call intercession. But he also does it in terms 
of sacrifice or offering. So our Lord Jesus Christ, as 
I said, is a king. He's certainly a prophet. He 
commands what we are supposed to do in terms of church life. 
He commands what you are supposed to do if you're not a believer. 
Believe on him and you'll be saved. But he is our great high 
priest. And one of the books of the Bible 
that shows that so splendidly and beautifully is the book of 
Hebrews, and you can turn there. Just a quick amplification on 
this idea that Christ on the cross is functioning as a priest. One of the most extended treatments 
of Christ's priestly office is in Hebrews 5.1, and it goes all 
the way to chapter 10 and verse 18. We certainly don't have time 
to cover every jot and tittle, but I want to bring out a few 
thoughts with reference to His priesthood. Now, while you are 
flipping and while you are turning, we need this priesthood. We need 
this priesthood desperately. Yes, we need His prophetic ministry. 
We need to hear from God. We need His kingly ministry. 
We need to be ruled by God. We need His priestly ministry. 
Why? Because we're messed up. And 
by messed up, I mean sinful, wretched, rebellious. We commit 
transgression against God. We don't do what God says. We 
not only sin by commission, that means doing what God forbids, 
but we sin by omission, not doing what God commands. As I said, 
we're messed up, ethically. We are dead in our trespasses 
and sins. We drink iniquity like water. We engage in lawlessness and 
rebellion and wickedness. A brother read from Luke's gospel 
in Luke chapter eight, and we might just, you know, sort of 
put it to the side and say, well, that man was demon possessed, 
but isn't it true of every man, whether he's demon possessed 
or not? He was clothed and sitting in his right mind. What does 
that indicate? That he was out of his mind. How do you explain the world 
today? I would suggest there are a lot of demon-possessed 
people out there, but even your garden-variety sinner is out 
of his mind. Why wouldn't we do what God commands 
us to do? It's not bad. Don't kill people. Oh, come on, God. Don't commit 
adultery with your neighbor's wife. Oh, come on. We're out 
of our minds. Well, what puts us back into 
our right mind? It's not more education, not 
against education. It's not through more discipline, 
not against discipline. It's through blood atonement. 
It's through Christ crucified. It's through the priestly office. 
As Owen says, that sacerdotal office of Christ is one that 
is a necessity for sinful men and women. Why is it important? Because we're sinners against 
a holy God. And if we have sinned against 
a holy God, guess what the inevitability is? We will suffer that holy 
God's righteous judgment for all eternity. It is that simple. God is a moral governor in this 
universe. He has commanded how we are supposed 
to conduct ourselves. He has threatened punishment 
for those who conduct themselves otherwise, and that punishment 
the Bible calls hell. It is a place of everlasting 
torment. It is a place of everlasting 
judgment. It is a place of everlasting 
banishment from all of the goodness of God Most High. So without 
the priestly office of Jesus Christ, without what He does 
on the cross, without that intercession, without that prayer, without 
that offering of sacrifice, we end up in hell. Now if you're 
not a believer, hopefully your interest is piqued because at 
the foot of the cross we learn what really matters. It's not 
our personal fulfillment, it's our salvation. It's not our joy 
and happiness, it's justification by faith alone. It's all about 
the Lord of Glory. It's all about Jesus Christ and 
His function as priest on the cross and John calls us to think 
about it because he talks in a verse about the tunic. What 
did that old covenant priest do? He made sacrifice for the 
people. For those perhaps that are unfamiliar 
with the Old Testament, there's a book called Leviticus. I've 
often thought that many readers who start out in Genesis usually 
abandon ship probably long before Leviticus, but at Leviticus for 
sure, which is a shame because Leviticus is background to the 
glory of Christ. It's all about Jesus. But in 
the book of Leviticus, there's a day called the Day of Atonement 
in Leviticus chapter 16. Literarily, structurally, theologically, 
it's the center of the book of Leviticus. And what happens on 
that Day of Atonement? It only happens one time out 
of the year. The priest takes off all of his glorious garments, 
but he leaves on that tunic, and then he goes to the tabernacle. 
That's the place where God would meet with His people. And the 
priest would go to that tabernacle, and he wouldn't go without blood. 
He'd kill an animal and he would take the blood into the Holy 
of Holies and he would sprinkle that blood on the mercy seat 
for his sin, for the sins of his people, for the altar, for 
the cult of the religious structure there in Old Covenant Israel. 
He would do this probably two or three times he went into the 
Holy of Holies. And then the next thing that the priest would 
do, they'd take a living goat. We call it the scapegoat. That's 
where that language comes from. And the priest would put both 
his hands on the head of that scapegoat and he would confess 
the transgressions of Israel. He would confess, God forgive 
us for committing idolatry. God forgive us for committing 
blasphemy, forgive us for being Sabbath breakers, forgive us 
for being insubordinate to our parents, forgive us for being 
murderers and adulterers and thieves and liars and covetous, 
forgive us of these sins. And then he would take that goat 
and he would press it off and it would run out into the wilderness. 
What is that? It's a picture of God's removal 
of the sin problem of His people. That's what Jesus does on the 
cross. He's not there for a moral example. 
This is how you ought to love everybody. Yeah, that's not the 
primary emphasis. He's there to take the punishment 
that is due for our sins. We deserve everlasting hell. 
We deserve everlasting punishment. We deserve everlasting torment. But Christ took it in Himself 
on the cross. So that when He goes to that 
cross as the Lamb of God, He takes away the sin of the world. 
The Bible says that everyone who believes in Him will have 
everlasting life. It is glorious. It is wonderful. It is blessed. We sing of it 
in the hymn. We sing, my sin, oh, the bliss 
of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the 
whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise 
the Lord, praise the Lord. We need the priestly ministry 
of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and for 
the imputation of His righteousness. That means His law keeping, His 
obedience, His never having committed a sin of omission or commission 
is imputed or given to us and it's received by faith alone. 
It's the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It's beautiful. 
When you believe on Jesus, you're forgiven of your sins, but not 
only are you forgiven of your sins, you're given positively 
a righteousness by which you may now enter into the presence 
of God. Imagine if you got an invitation 
to a wedding and you were supposed to go to the reception and you 
were supposed to be clothed in a certain way, but you didn't 
have a suit, you didn't have that kind of a dress, you'd be 
out of luck, wouldn't you? We need that suit. We need that 
dress. I mean, that's a weird illustration. Well, it's Jesus' illustration, 
the parable of the wedding face. You've got to have the right 
clothes. You've got to have the right 
attire. You've got to be fit and appropriate. You don't get 
that through your own doing, through your own dying, through 
your own redeeming power. You get it through Christ. So 
in terms of the high priestly office of our Lord Jesus Christ 
that John calls us to meditate upon as he refers to this tunic, 
consider the perfection of Jesus' priesthood. Look at Hebrews chapter 
5. As I said, 5 to 10 is one of 
the most extended treatments of the priestly office of Jesus 
in the Bible. Notice in chapter 5, at verse 
3. There's a bit of a contrast going 
on between Jesus and Aaron. Aaron was sort of the main man 
with reference to priesthood and his descendants. They would 
function as high priests. So notice what Aaron had to do 
according to 5.3. Because of this, he is required 
as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices 
for sin. So Aaron needed that blood for 
atonement for himself. not blaming Aaron, I'm not saying 
Aaron's bad, I'm not saying that that somehow puts Aaron, you 
know, in a category other than us, but look at 5a with reference 
to our high priest. Though he was a son, this is 
Jesus, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered, 
and having been perfected, he became the author of eternal 
salvation to all who obey him. So Christ Unlike Aaron, doesn't 
have to offer up blood first for his own sins. And what does 
that indicate? It indicates his perfection. 
It indicates his spotlessness. Again, if you read through the 
Old Testament and you see God's demand to the old covenant Israelites 
in terms of sacrifice, does God say to the children of Israel, 
you know, find the worst animal in your flock? find the one that's 
gimped, find the one that's blind, find the loser in the barnyard 
brawls and bring him to my sacrifice. No, that's not it at all. It 
says bring the best. In fact, if you read the prophet 
Malachi, that's exactly what's going on. God upbraids the nation 
through the prophet Malachi because they were bringing blind and 
lame sacrifices to the temple. And not only that, they were 
stealing them on the way. As I've said to the church many 
times, if you're at the point where you're stealing a sacrifice 
to present to God, you're pretty much at the bottom of the barrel. 
Sacrifice pinches. Sacrifice deprives. Sacrifice 
hurts. So God's demand was for the best. Did that old covenant priesthood 
ever offer up the best? No. Sinners. The divine Word 
who became flesh for us men and for our salvation renders up 
perfect obedience. As well, Christ's priesthood 
is perpetual. Turn to Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews 
chapter 7, again by way of contrast with Aaron's priesthood, and 
the contrast isn't Aaron was a horrible person. That's not 
the contrast. The contrast is you had the Old 
Covenant, it functioned how God purposed for it to function, 
but now the New Covenant has arrived and it's a better covenant 
founded on better promises that affords a better hope. All of 
Old Covenant redemptive history was aiming to this. So it's not 
bad, it just functioned the way God had purposed it. But notice 
in 717, for he testifies, you are a priest forever according 
to the order of Melchizedek. That's why we sang Psalm 110 
at the outset of worship. Shows us the king priest, our 
Lord Jesus Christ. But here, specifically, the author 
is contrasting Aaron's priesthood with Jesus' priesthood. Aaron's 
died off. Aaron's didn't have constant 
recurring succession, but drop down to verse 26, for such a 
high priest was fitting... I'm sorry, verse 23, and there 
were many priests because they were prevented by death from 
continuing. But he, because he continues 
forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. He's always available. He's always there. And I think 
that's good news for sinners today. We don't preach a priest 
who, you know, he used to save pretty good back in the day, 
but he doesn't do so anymore. No, he's at the right hand of 
the Father, and anyone who comes to him in faith, he saves. He 
says so much in John 6, 37, all that the Father gives me will 
come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast 
out. So Christ's priesthood was perfect, 
Christ's priesthood is perpetual, and notice the salvation accomplished 
by this priest. Look at verse 25 in Hebrews 7. Therefore he is also able to 
save to the uttermost. Those are wonderful words, to 
the uttermost, or completely, or fully. He doesn't partially 
save us. I mean, even if he saved us 99.9% 
and we had to work out that other .01%, we couldn't do it. The demands of God upon us for 
law keeping is personal, exact, entire, and perpetual. We don't 
get that the first second we open our eyes in the morning. 
Do we? Who here, let's have a show of 
hands, who here wants to boast of their personal, entire, exact 
and perpetual obedience? If you know yourself a little 
bit, you're like, nah, I don't even do that in my sleep. I mean, 
that would mean dreams where I only think positive thoughts 
of the glory of God and the good of my fellows. Yeah, I'm sure 
that's everybody's dream life. It's everybody's way. We need 
perfection. We need an uttermost salvation. Therefore, he is also able to 
save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since 
he always lives to make intercession for them. Beautiful. It's an 
uttermost salvation to uttermost wretches that stand in uttermost 
need. So no one can ever think, well, 
you know, I'm just too sinful for this one to ever save. No, 
no, no, no. The Apostle Paul claimed chief 
of sinner as a title for himself. The argument's simple. Every 
less than chief is able to be saved. I'd argue that even those 
more than that chief are able to be saved. This is an uttermost 
salvation wrought out by this perfect high priest whose priesthood 
continues in perpetuity. And this sacrifice actually accomplishes 
that for which God had purpose. Notice in 722, by so much more, 
Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. So we see 
the perfection of his priesthood, but real quick, we ought to appreciate 
the perfection of his sacrifice. We've had cause to reflect many 
times in our studies in John's gospel, the way that John proceeds 
in putting together his gospel narrative. John 1, 1 to 18 is 
theology. John 1, 19 to the end is economy, 
the economy of salvation. And that economy begins, at least 
in verse 29, with the announcement of the purpose for which the 
word was made flesh. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. Beautiful, glorious. Sinners 
should sigh a great big relief when they hear that statement. 
You mean there is a remedy? You mean there is a fountain 
open for sin and uncleanness? You mean there is something that 
can be done with my rebellion and my transgression and my sin? 
Yeah, it's in Jesus Christ the Lord. So He is the Lamb of God 
who takes away the sin of the world. But notice in Hebrews 
chapter 10, again, this contrast is set up between the old covenant 
and new covenant. Not that the old was bad, functioned 
for the purpose for which God sent it, but notice in 10.1, 
for the law having a shadow of the good things to come and not 
the very image of the things can never with these same sacrifices 
which they offer continually year by year make those who approach 
perfect. I mentioned the Day of Atonement. 
I mentioned that day when the high priest went into the Holy 
of Holies, when that high priest laid his hands on the scapegoat. It happened every year. It happened 
annually. It was central in their religious 
life. Why? Because it never dealt with 
sin the way that the Lamb of God deals with sin. So notice, 
verse 2, for then would they not have ceased to be offered? 
For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness 
of sins, but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every 
year. Just by way of a side note, note the contrast there in verse 
three with the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. What happens 
year by year when you go on the Day of Atonement? You're reminded 
of your sin, which isn't a bad thing. What happens when we eat 
this bread and we drink this cup? We are reminded of the death 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are reminded that there is 
atonement. We are reminded that guilty, 
vile, helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He. Full atonement 
can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior. And 
then notice in verse 4, for it is not possible that the blood 
of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He 
came into the world, He said, and then it highlights, underscores, 
brings to bear very often, and again throughout the book of 
Hebrews, an emphasis on the once for all sacrifice of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. We don't duplicate it. We don't 
replicate it. We don't go through it over and 
over again. The supper is a means of grace and it reminds us of 
that glorious activity, but it's not an atonement. It's not an 
unbloody atonement. It's not a situation envisaged 
by the Roman church. It is rather a reminder for the 
saints of Christ what their Savior has done on their behalf. And 
then one final text in terms of Hebrews, you can turn to chapter 
12, specifically at verse 2. the glory of his priesthood, 
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who 
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising 
the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne 
of God." So we're at the foot of the cross this morning. We're 
surveying. We see these soldiers stripping 
off his garments and throwing lots for his tunic. We're going 
to see His mother and His disciples standing there at the foot of 
the cross. But look how the writer to the book of Hebrews says, 
Enduring the cross means the wrath of man, but even more so 
the wrath of God, and despising the shame, such as being stripped 
naked such as being spat upon, such 
as having a crown of thorns embedded into his head and being covered 
with blood and gore. He despised that shame. He endured 
the cross. Why? For the joy that was set 
before him. What was the joy set before him? 
The glory of his father and the salvation of us. It really is 
amazing theology that the apostle articulates with reference to 
that cross. I would suggest he was stripped 
naked that we might be clothed with his righteousness. Calvin 
says, let us also learn that Christ was stripped of His garments 
that He might clothe us with righteousness, that His naked 
body was exposed to the insults of men that we may appear in 
glory before the judgment seat of God. And taking into account 
what we saw last Sunday, we've got Him numbered with the transgressors. 
He was numbered among the transgressors that you and I might be received 
into glory. He's stripped naked, he's numbered 
amongst the transgressors, not for his sins, not for his crimes, 
not for anything he had committed personally, but for our sin, 
our crimes, imputed to him. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5.21, 
God made him, Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that 
we might become the righteousness of God in him. If I were to ask 
you to think back, oh, 15 minutes ago, I mentioned justification 
by faith alone. And in justification, we are 
forgiven of our sins and we receive the righteousness of Jesus. It's 
imputed or given to us and it's received by faith alone. Well, 
that's predicated on another imputation or a giving or a constituting 
or a reckoning. God made Him who knew no sin 
to be sin for us. Doesn't mean that Jesus personally 
committed adultery, but Jesus took, by way of imputation, the 
sin of adultery that His elect would commit. Again, he's not 
personally sinful, but God takes our sin, keeps it upon the Savior, 
punishes the Savior in our place, forgives us as a result of that, 
and then takes the righteousness of the Savior and gives it to 
us. Luther called it the glorious exchange. I think you can see 
why. We're messed up. God takes our 
messed up-ness, heaps it upon His Son, punishes His Son in 
our place, and then takes the righteousness of His Son and 
heaps it up upon us. It is beautiful. And I would 
suggest that He was crucified that we might have life everlasting. Matthew Henry said, and when 
we behold what manner of death He died, let us in that behold 
with what manner of love He loved us. In other words, you can see 
the extent, the immeasurable love of the Savior for His people 
when you see the extent and the immeasurable shame and suffering 
He went through on our behalf. So back to John chapter 19, we 
see that they are at the foot of the cross, these soldiers, 
dividing up his garments, casting lots for the tunic. But notice 
that this is the plan and purpose of God. John never lets us forget 
that. So the garments are divided. 
The tunic is left intact. They're going to cast lots for 
it, whose it shall be. But then note the end of verse 
24, 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. Again, when 
we see passages like this, it's not John saying, you know, this 
was a lucky accident. This just kind of happened in 
an interesting and curious way. No, it happened the way that 
it happened because God predetermined, God foreordained, and God announced 
it in Psalm 22. Psalm 22 we call a psalm of the 
cross. If you remember in a parallel 
passage in Matthew's gospel, Jesus from the cross says, my 
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? That's a quote from Psalm 
22 verse 1. Well, this is a quote from Psalm 
22, verse 18. In Psalm 22, 16 to 18, show us 
the beastly conduct of men at the foot of the cross. In fact, 
I'll just read it for you. It says, for dogs have surrounded 
me. The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced 
my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They 
look and stare at me. They divide my garments among 
them, and for my clothing they cast lots. So again, it's not 
a happy accident. It's not a lucky event. It's 
not like, wow, I can't believe that connection was made. John, 
you're brilliant. No, this is the plan and purpose 
of God, which again, I think underscores for us the great 
love of which the Savior has for us and our response in love. This wasn't plan B in the mind 
of God. This wasn't, what am I going 
to do with this helpless lot? How am I going to salvage this 
mission? It was always His plan and purpose 
announced in the garden in Genesis chapter 3 at verse 15, that God 
would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent, 
that the seed of the woman would crush His head. The rest of the 
Bible unfolds that. The rest of the Bible shows us 
that. In fact, Jesus is at the skull place now doing that very 
thing with reference to His enemies. So the prophet, or the psalmist 
rather, gives us the very words of Jesus Christ. In fact, if 
you want to learn more about the physical sufferings, you 
want to learn more about the physical torture of the Son of 
God on the cross, Psalm 22 is your place. Psalm 22 gives you 
far more of a window into the excruciating suffering of Jesus 
Christ according to His humanity than the Gospel writers do. You 
want a window into that? Read Psalm 22. It's not about 
David. It's about David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But 
we ought to appreciate before we move on here the sovereignty 
of God. From the outset of John's gospel, Jesus refers to an hour 
in John chapter two. We see that hour referred to 
over and over again. We see Jesus referred to a cup 
that he must drink, given him by the father in John 18, 11. 
We see all these references from Jesus concerning the one who 
sent me. It is my meat to do the will of him who sent me. 
I always do that which is pleasing to my father. The Lord Jesus 
Christ has been scripted. He has been purposed. It has 
been determined. When man sins against God, God 
orchestrates the way of salvation. I'd argue He orchestrated it 
even before man fell into sin, but the reality is that Christ 
came with a purpose, and Christ fulfills that purpose And even 
here at the base or foot of the cross, we see what I think Klink 
says is right. Even as Christ is nailed to the 
cross, the soldiers below Him, gambling on the garments previously 
belonging to Him, do nothing outside the will and control 
of God. They are doing quite simply what 
God said long ago they would do. right down to these soldiers 
exercising one of the perks of their particular profession, 
gambling or throwing lots for these garments and for the tunic. 
What's happening? God's will is being done. Jesus 
in the garden says, if it is possible, let this cup pass from 
me. Nevertheless, Father, not my will, but thine be done. What's 
the cup? It's the wrath of God. It's the 
judgment of God. It's the fury of God. It's that 
punishment that I referred to earlier. that sinners will undergo 
for their sins against a holy God in that hell to come. But Christ took that on the cross. He took our punishment. He satisfied 
divine justice. That's the glory of the cross. You see, this isn't just one 
religious system among others. It's not just kind of a philosophy 
out there that is kind of held captive in the minds of some. 
This is God's Word. This is God's revelation. This 
is God's purpose and plan. This is the mission of the Son 
of God who assumed our humanity and lived in this sin-cursed 
world, who lived in a cesspool, who lived amongst men that said, 
away with him, away with him, crucify him. This is God's glory. And then let's look, I don't 
want to say quickly, but there's not a lot too much going on here. 
Again, we're not Roman Catholics, so we're not going to get weird 
with Mary here, but when we see this statement in verses 25 to 
27, it's what we'll call the third saying of the Savior from 
the cross. When Jesus is on the cross, there's a series of seven 
sayings that he says, recorded for us in the gospel records. 
The first is, Father forgive them for they do not know what 
they do, Luke 23, 34. The second is, assuredly I say 
to you, today you will be with me in paradise, Luke 23, 43. 
This one, third, woman behold your son, behold your mother, 
John 19. The fourth is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken 
me, Matthew 27, 46. The next is in our passage in 
John 19.28, I, I'm sorry, not John 19, yeah, John 19.28, I 
thirst. The sixth is I, it is finished, 
John 19.30, and then the last is Father into your hands I commit 
my spirit in Luke 23.46. The seven sayings of the Savior 
from the cross. I think just at least a handful 
of Reformed I'm sure Pink has a book on that. I'm sure Spurgeon 
has a series on that. Just type in seven sayings of 
the Savior from the cross and you'll probably get a lot of 
resources that you can investigate. Because each of these statements 
are packed. I mean, think about it. Wouldn't you want to know 
what the dying words of the Son of God on the cross are? Well, 
the gospel writers sure thought so because they put them in there 
for our investigation. But when we see Mary and these 
three others, there's a bit of a textual issue as whether there's 
three total or there's four. I think we'll side with four, 
or it means that Mary had a sister named Mary, and I doubt that 
that was the case. So I take it there are four disciples. 
So the first thing we ought to appreciate is the contrast. We've 
got four soldiers brutalizing the Savior. And then we've got 
four disciples standing at the foot of the Savior. And that 
women are mentioned has apologetic purpose. Women are mentioned 
at the crucifixion. Women are mentioned at the burial. And women are mentioned at the 
resurrection. One commentator makes this observation 
with that point. Precisely because women's witness 
was not considered dependable in Israel's courts, the canonical 
writers would have had male witnesses present at these crucial events 
if they had invented the stories. There's an apologetics to the 
resurrection that defies objectors, and this is one of them. If you 
and I set out to provide a fraud, we'd get our stories together. That's just me and you. I'll 
just pick on Chris or Cam. Just us, in a room, we're gonna 
hatch up this scenario. Multiply that when you have four. 
You would smooth out details, but all the details in Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John aren't smoothed out. They're not contradictory. 
They can be harmonized, but they're not smooth. Matthew, for instance, 
tells us the resurrection when people saw him, some did not 
believe. I might just leave that out of 
my account, just like I might leave out David falling into 
adultery and covering it up with conspiracy to murder. That they 
mention the women shows that what they have to say is true. 
They're not gonna smooth it out, they're not gonna try to build 
it for a future court, they're not gonna try to make it in such 
a way that the atheists in the 21st century will be able to 
buy it. No, they tell the truth. There's 
apologetic value in these women at the cross. That's not the 
only reason, but I think it is an important reason. But then 
note the words to Mary, verse 26, that's John. John is the 
beloved disciple. We see references to that in John 13, 33, and again 
in John 21, 20. John is the beloved disciple. It doesn't mean Jesus, according 
to his divinity, loves people differently, or less than, or 
more than. But Jesus, according to his humanity, out of the 12, 
Peter, James, and John went with him to the Mount of Transfiguration. 
Peter, James, and John went with him into Gethsemane. And out 
of Peter, James, and John, John is called the beloved disciple. 
Not that he hated Peter, not that he hated James. As I mentioned 
before, today on social media, if you say, I really love oranges, 
people respond with, why do you hate apples? What? The reading 
comprehension is horrible. But according to his humanity, 
he had a special affinity with John, the beloved disciple. So 
at the foot of the cross, you've got Mary, you've got the other 
women, and you've got John, the beloved disciple. And so he addresses 
his mother, and he says, woman. That's not derogatory. It's not 
vicious. It's not unkind. I think it's 
master to disciple language, similar to what you have in John 
2. But he says, woman, behold your son. Now in terms of this 
particular event, what is the significance behind it? I would 
suggest first we see the anguish of Mary. Wasn't this prophesied 
by Simeon in Luke chapter 2? Simeon makes the statement, yes, 
a sword will pierce through your own soul also. Imagine being 
at that foot of that cross, and don't imagine too much. I don't 
want you to see Jesus and his ruggedly handsome feet. Don't 
do that. Second commandment violations are a reality. But imagine this 
woman. I think any of us, brethren, 
at the foot of a cross seeing our sons or daughters crucified, 
even if they deserved it, even if they were the worst specimens 
of human beings on the face of the earth, even if they, yeah, 
were just vile, you'd still remember at age two when they toddled. 
You'd still remember throwing the ball with them in the backyard. 
But Jesus never did sin. Jesus wasn't vile. Jesus was 
holy, harmless, and undefiled. How do you think that was for 
Mary? Watching her son be crucified. As well, we need to understand 
the nature of redemption. She's not on the cross with Him 
vis-a-vis Rome. She's not a mediatrix helping 
Jesus, saving us. She's not the one who delivered 
Him up to the cross. He's the Father. I would suggest 
that very simply, it's care and concern for his mother. Fifth 
commandment obedience to the very end, right? Honor your father 
and your mother. He probably, Joseph is gone, 
Joseph is dead, the earthly father of our Lord Jesus, so Joseph 
isn't there anymore, and so he commends Mary to John, the beloved 
disciple. It's a beautiful thing. Fifth 
Commandment obedience to the very end. And again, something 
we see with the Savior. He's hanging on a cross. He's 
covered with spit. He's got blood all over him, 
suffering the wrath and fury of God, and he's others-minded. Mary, behold your son. And then he says to John, behold 
your mother. This again is the disciple whom 
Jesus loved. And I think very practically, 
John would provide care and concern and help and support for Mary. 
It's a pretty simple reading. But I think there might be a 
theological lesson as well. And I hinge this on Matthew 12, 
46 to 50. Remember that scene when Jesus 
is surrounded by disciples? And they come to him and they 
say, you know, Master, your mother and your sisters and your brothers 
are here. What does he say to that? These are my mothers and 
my brothers and my sisters. Whoever does the will of my father 
is my mother and my brother and my sister. Could it be that Jesus 
is giving sort of a foreshadow as to what forges true relationships? Yeah, we're all connected in 
earthly families. The physical bloodlines are great. We should love our parents. We 
should love our spawn. We should be faithful and all 
those things. But in this new covenant community, 
mothers and sons are defined not by blood, but by grace. Mothers and sons are defined 
by their relationship to God through faith in Jesus Christ. 
Woman, behold your son. And then he says to John, behold 
your mother. I doubt they went to the adoption 
agency the next day and got the papers done so that Mary could 
be recognized legally as John's mother. No. The family of God, 
in many ways, and at least at certain times, trumps even physical 
relations with reference to our connection. So theologically, 
he is showing us something churchly. So in conclusion, I would suggest 
these four thoughts, and it'll be a quick four thoughts because 
we've covered most of it. And it's all under the head, 
the glorious gospel of Christ. First, the doctrine of substitutionary 
atonement at the cross. So if you're listening 17 or 
18 minutes ago, I mentioned justification. I mentioned what that priest 
did in Leviticus chapter 16. I mentioned what our Lord Jesus 
Christ does on the cross. It's substitutionary atonement. We all know that word substitute. We grew up in schools and if 
our teacher was sick, we had a substitute teacher, somebody 
that stood in the place for Mrs. Jones, right? Jesus is the one 
who stood in the place for guilty sinners that deserve God's wrath 
and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. He's 
not arrested in Gethsemane. He's not hauled before Caiaphas, 
hauled before the Sanhedrin, hauled before Pilate, hauled 
before Herod, sent back to Pilate, and then taken out to skull place 
for his sins and for his crimes. No, it's substitutionary. God made him who knew no sin 
to be sin for us. He stood in our place to satisfy 
divine justice. Secondly, the doctrine of justification 
by faith alone because of the cross. I think that this scene, 
as we stand at the foot of the cross, as we see the Savior going 
to these lengths for us, I hope it helps us to understand Paul's 
words in Galatians 2.21. I do not set apart the grace 
of God or set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness 
comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. In other words, 
if in part or in whole you can earn your favor with God, then 
why this scene? Why skull place? Why barbaric 
treatment from Roman soldiers? Why spitting upon? Why blood? Why gore? Why wrath of God if 
we can in part or whole earn our salvation with God? I would 
suggest thirdly, practically at the foot of the cross, it 
demonstrates what is most important. I hinted at this earlier. It's 
not personal fulfillment, but it's divine forgiveness. It's 
not earthly success, but heavenly security. It's not even happiness, 
but righteousness, which comes from God through faith in Jesus 
Christ. I think the foot of the cross, 
and I'm encouraging everybody to think this way, puts everything 
in a perspective. Where am I? What's going on in 
my life? Because that contrast still abides. I'm about to end. That contrast 
that's at the cross, it still abides. Contrast represented 
by the soldiers casting lots for his clothes and the disciples 
standing there, gazing at the Savior. You might say, well, 
you know, if I had been there, I doubt I would have mocked. 
You might not have. I doubt I would have spit. You 
might not have. I doubt I would have said, away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. Okay. But in Matthew's gospel, Jesus 
makes discipleship very clear cut. So does John. In Matthew 12, we read, he who 
is not with me is against me. So you may not have mocked. You 
may not have spit. You may not have said, away with 
him, away with him, crucify him, but if you're not looking to 
him in faith, guess whose side you're on? Judas, the Sanhedrin, 
Pilate, and the multitudes who said, away with him, away with 
him, crucify him. There's no third position, you 
know, the morally neutral. Well, they don't really have 
a lot of thoughts about Jesus one way or the other. Well, you're 
with Judas. You're with Caiaphas, you're with Annas, you're with 
Pilate, you're with Herod, you're with all of them. There's no 
third camp. There's no third position. There's 
no, I hope I can just sort of sneak in on my good looks and 
winning personality. No, no, no, no. It's either you're 
in Christ or you're under the wrath of God, John 3.36. So guess 
what the answer is? Believe on Christ. Look to Jesus 
in faith. Look at that one who hung four 
sinners on the cross, was raised again the third day, and now 
sits enthroned at the right hand of the Father, where he receives 
to himself needy sinners. Believe on him, and the Bible 
says, you shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this foot 
of the cross. We thank you for what happens 
there and for the lasting, permanent benefits that we receive by your 
grace and for your glory. We pray that wherever this gospel 
is preached today, it would run swiftly and be glorified and 
that you would call sinners from every tribe and tongue and people 
and nation and from this meeting place here to your son to believe 
on him for their salvation. And we ask this in Jesus' name. 
Amen.