The soldiers took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also
took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one
another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the
scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots."
(John 19:23-24)
The Ethiopian Christians could not afford to pay the heavy taxes in Jerusalem under the Ottoman
empire in the 16th century and they were stripped of their possessions and forced to live as
beggars here on the roof of the south transept of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Their fellow
Christians were quick to exploit and the Copts, the Greeks and the Latins moved into their
chapels and colluded with their expulsion.
Today Jesus is still stripped as people collude and turn away while whole nations and races are
massacred in their homelands. Today Jesus is still stripped as the weak who cannot speak out for
themselves are ignored or abused while the strong turn a blind eye. Today Jesus is still stripped
as we mock or reject those who are already fallen.
Heavenly Father, whose children suffered at the hands of Herod, though they had done no wrong:
give us grace neither to act cruelly, nor to stand indifferently by, but to defend the weak from the
tyrany of the strong in the name of Jesus Christ who suffered for us, but is now alive and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever, Amen.
(ASB Collect for the Feast of the Holy Innocents)
