The Roman soldiers’ concern not to divide Jesus’ tunic
that was “seamless, woven from above as a whole” (19:23b) alludes to a rich biblical
background in which the divinely determined and unified clothing of the high
priest represents the people of Israel. The construction of Jesus’ tunic is
elaborately described in a careful chiasm:
(a) seamless (unity)
(b) women from above (divine origin)
(a) as a whole (unity)
Two expressions of unity surround a statement of divine
origin. Just as divine authority comes “from above” (αωνθεν) in the previous B scene (19:11), that
Jesus’ seamless tunic is woven “from the top” or “from above” (εκ των ανωθεν) indicates that its emphasized unity as
a divine origin. Similarly, the intricate description of the sacred vestments
of the high priest underline their unified construction in accord with the
command of God.
As Jesus’ tunic was woven (υφαντος), so each of the various vestments of
the high priest, according to the detailed description in LXX Exod 28 and 36,
was a “woven work” (εργον
θφαντον)—the ephod (Exod 28:6; 36:10, 12), the
breastpiece (Exod 36:15), the robe (Exod 28:32; 36:29), and the tunic (Exod
36:34). As Jesus’ seamless tunic was woven as a whole (δια’ ολου),
so that the soldiers did not want to “tear” it (19:24), so the robe of the
ephod was uniformly woven “all” or as a “whole” (ολον) of blue (Exod 28:31; 36:29), and it is
so constructed “that it might not be torn” (ινα μη ραγη, Exod 28:32; αδιαλυτον, 36:30). Thus, Jesus’ “tunic,” the undergarment
worn under “the clothes” that the soldiers divided (19:23a), corresponds to the
high priestly “robe,” described as the undergarment (υποδυτην, Exod 28:31; 36:29) worn under (υπο) the ephod (Exod 36:29). And just as Jesus’
unified tunic was woven “from above,” that is, from the heavenly realm of
divine authority, so it is repeatedly reinforced that the unified high priestly
vestments were designed by God’s decree—“as the Lord commanded Moses” (Exod 36:12,
14, 28, 33, 36, 38).
The high priestly vestments were representative of the
whole people of Israel. Two onyx stones engraved with the names of the sons of Israel—the
names of six tribes on one stone and the names of the remaining six tribes on
the other stone, thus the names of the twelve tribes constituting the whole
people—were to be attached to the shoulder straps of the ephod (Exod 28:9-12;
36:13-14). As part of the high priest’s clothing, these stones functioned “as stones
of remembrance for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear the names of the
sons of Israel before the Lord on his shoulders, a remembrance for them” (Exod
28:12). In addition, twelve stones inscribed with the names of the twelve
tribes of Israel were to be affixed to the breastpiece of judgment (Exod 28:21;
36:21). They symbolized the whole people of Israel that the high priest Aaron
represented in remembrance before the Lord when he wrote the breastpiece into
the sanctuary (Exod 28:29).
The prophet Ahijah dramatically illustrated how the
tearing of a new garment representative of the whole people of Israel indicates
division and destruction of unity. He took hold of the new garment he was
wearing and tore it into twelve pieces, symbolic of the twelve tribes of
Israel. Then he indicated to Jeroboam the destruction of unity that would occur
after the death of Solomon: “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the
Lord, the God of Israel, ‘See, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of
Solomon, and will give you ten tribes’” (I Kgs 11:29-31).
Although there have been division (σχισμα) among the Jewish people with regard to
Jesus (7:43; 9:16; 10:19), by deciding not to tear or divide (μη σχισωμεν) Jesus’ tunic, the gentile soldiers are
symbolically yet unwittingly promoting the communal unity that Jesus’ death as
the shepherd-king and unique high priest will effect (19:24a). The Roman soldiers’
desire not to divide the dying Jesus’ seamless tunic woven from above as a
whole (δι’ ολου), a symbol of unity, corresponds to the
high priest Caiaphas’ advice to preserve the unity of the whole (ολον) Jewish notion by putting the one man
Jesus to death (11:50). Indeed, as the unique high priest who transcends the Jewish
high priest, Jesus dies not just from the unity of the nation, but to gather
the scattered children of God into a unity (11:52). By not tearing his unified tunic,
the soldiers advance the goal of Jesus as the good shepherd-king to unify all
sheep/people into a believing community, so that there will be one flock and
one shepherd (10:15, 16).
By preserving the seamless tunic that symbolizes the
unity that comes “from above,” from God, the gentile soldiers enable Jesus,
lifted up in death by the crucifixion, to unify all by drawing them to himself
(12:32). All who are drawn to the crucified Jesus and believe in him may then
be profoundly “one” and participate in the intimate, divine unity “from above”
that Jesus enjoys with his Father (17:20-21). That the Roman soldiers went to “cast
lots” (19:24a) from their possession of the seamless tunic indicates that the
Gentiles’ share of allotment in this unity is determined “from above” by God. (John
Paul Heil, Blood and Water: The Death and Resurrection of Jesus in John 18-21
[The Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series 27; The Catholic Biblical
Association of America, 1995; repr., Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick Publicatoins,
2023], 90-92)