What Jesus Did! 'The Gamble' — Matthew 27:35-37

They gambled with dice (literally, "cast lots") for Jesus' clothes as he bled and died on the cross in front of a mocking mob and in unspeakable agony. How does that strike you? Repulsively, repugnantly, despicably cruel!

Think about it a minute or two longer. Those who reject Jesus' death today are gambling with higher stakes and rejecting greater evidence.

These soldiers were not gambling just for Jesus' clothes; they were also gambling that he was just another piece of criminal scum that it was their job to execute. So as they were partners in this brutality, they were gambling that what others had told them about Jesus was correct - that he wasn't the Christ, wasn't the Son of God, wasn't the King of the Jews, and wasn't their Savior. But what evidence did they have to believe Jesus? Very little, until the crucifixion scene was finished and Jesus breathed his last words. Then, after seeing the things that had transpired, one of the soldiers had seen another set of facts and decided, "This man truly was the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:54)

Those who reject Jesus today, not only reject the judgment of this soldier, but also the transformation of the frightened and hidden disciples who did not expect his resurrection and then became world-beaters after they had seen their resurrected Lord. They reject the testimony of millions of believers over the centuries. They reject the witness of Scripture, which has gone through countless attempts to silence and eradicate its message, but has endured to inspire more and more believers.

Jesus died for sinners. Jesus died for you. Jesus died for me. Every time we take these words lightly or outright reject them, we are gambling that Jesus' death wasn't God's work and our salvation. It makes the soldiers' wager seem pretty tame, doesn't it?