What is the meaning of John 19:31? It was the day of Preparation The Gospel pinpoints the moment: “It was the day of Preparation” (John 19:31). • This is the sixth day of the week—what we call Friday—when everything had to be finished before sundown (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54). • The detail roots the event in real time, showing Jesus’ death occurred just before the weekly Sabbath began, in full harmony with Exodus 20:8–11. • The same term also frames the Passover setting (John 19:14), reminding us that Jesus is “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29) whose sacrifice coincides with the very day Israel readied its Passover lambs (Exodus 12:3–6). and the next day was a High Sabbath Not only was the following day a regular Sabbath; it was a “High” (great) Sabbath because it overlapped with the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6–7). • Such convergence heightened the holiness of the day, intensifying concerns about ceremonial cleanliness (John 18:28). • The timing underscores God’s sovereignty: the ultimate Passover Lamb completed His work precisely when Israel celebrated redemption from Egypt (1 Corinthians 5:7). In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath Deuteronomy 21:22–23 commands that a body hung on a tree “must not remain there overnight,” lest the land be defiled. • The religious leaders, keen to avoid covenantal defilement on such a sacred day, press for immediate action. • Ironically, while scrupulous about ritual defilement, they overlook the greater sin of condemning their Messiah (Matthew 23:24). the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed • Roman executioners sometimes hastened death by fracturing the victim’s legs (crurifragium), preventing the upward push needed to breathe. • The request reveals the leaders’ dependence on Roman authority to fulfill their own law, fulfilling Jesus’ earlier prediction of being “lifted up” (John 12:32–33). • In divine providence, Jesus had already yielded His spirit (John 19:30), so when soldiers arrived they did not break His bones—fulfilling Psalm 34:20 and Exodus 12:46—while still piercing His side to verify death (John 19:32–37; Zechariah 12:10). summary John 19:31 shows meticulous alignment between God’s law, Israel’s calendar, and Jesus’ sacrificial death. The day of Preparation anchors the timeline, the High Sabbath magnifies the moment, the concern for unburied bodies points to covenant faithfulness, and the request to break legs—even as Jesus’ bones remained unbroken—confirms prophetic precision. Every detail testifies that Christ’s death was no accident but the exact fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. |
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