March
26, 2003
NOT
ONE OF HIS BONES SHALL BE BROKEN
"Then
the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the
other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus
and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and
immediately blood and water came out" (John 19:32-34,
NKJV).
John
witnessed this scene and reflected on what scripture had to
say regarding the actions taken. "For these things were
done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, 'Not one of His
bones shall be broken.' And again another Scripture says,
'They shall look on Him whom they pierced' " (John 19:36,
37).
Centuries
earlier, when the children of Israel were preparing to leave
Egypt, God gave instruction to Moses, and Moses to the elders
of Israel to "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves
according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb...
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'This is the ordinance
of the Passover:... In one house it shall be eaten; you shall
not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you
break one of its bones.' " (Exodus 12:21, 43, 46).
The Passover
was to be kept at a time established by the Lord. "Now
the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai,-- 'Let
the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed
time. On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you
shall keep it at its appointed time. According to all its
rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.' So Moses told the
children of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And
they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first
month, at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according
to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel
did" (Numbers 9:1-5).
David,
centuries later wrote, "He guards all his bones; not
one of them is broken" (Psalm 34:20).
Again,
several hundred years before Christ, Zechariah wrote, "And
I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of
Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they
will look on Me whom they pierced" (Zechariah 12:10).
Many are
the prophecies of the
Old Testament pointing forward to the Messiah. It has been
said, "There would be no honest infidel in the world were
the Messianic prophecies studied, nor any doubting disciple
if this body of prediction were understood." (Author unknown) |
