Column: Jesus paid the penalty for sinners with the shirt off his back

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.

John 19:23

Hell is a place of robbery. It is a place of suffering because it is a place of “thou shall not have.” This is why Christ was disrobed.

As we see the soldiers bargaining for his garments we should understand that Jesus was undergoing the lurid pains of God’s wrath and curse. Jesus, as the eternal sacrifice for sin, was being stripped of every good thing. Not even his undergarments were permitted to be spared.

Never take for granted what sits in your dresser drawers. Your wardrobe is a gift. As a matter of fact, these pieces of fabric are indicative of God’s first gift. After Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden and lost his innocence, the Lord covered him with the skins of animals. He made an accommodation for Adam’s nakedness.

The Lord furnish us with things to wear, no so for Jesus

From that point on the goodness and kindness of God has been universally manifested. He graciously adorns the masses of humanity with something to wear. Even despite the fact that we intrude upon His law and increase our sins daily, the Lord generously furnishes us with things to wear.

Jesus, however, was not allowed to enjoy such blessings. He came into the world to save sinners. In order to do so, he was compelled to bid farewell to each and every earthly treasure. Judgment for sin meant he must forfeit all the comforts of this life, from first to last.

Think about that next time you pull on that cozy sweater. When you slip into your favorite pair of jeans and feel how soothing it is upon your skin, remember the grace of that moment. Even if it is not as fashionable as you might like, you should understand every thread that adorns your body is an undeserved blessing.

Then consider how the barrenness of sin left Jesus completely bare.

All rights denied, naked he died.

Consider the shirt off your back

There are few in this world who would really give you the shirt off their backs. But Jesus did just that. He paid the penalty for sinners. Part of that payment came in the form of the shirt off his back. He was divested of his attire and made to feel the humiliation which our sins deserve.

But in losing these comforts he gained for his people eternal comfort. That is why we who trust in Christ can take heart. We may rest knowing God will not treat us as our sins deserve.

Jesus was disrobed. He helplessly watched his clothes be divvied up and carried away. But this was so we who trust in him might be robed with peace, knowing God’s wrath has been turned away from us.

Matt Timmons is the pastor and biblical counselor at Hopewell Church.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Column: Jesus paid the penalty for sinners with the shirt off his back