Why is it significant that "not one of His bones will be broken"? The Prophetic Thread Running through Scripture • Exodus 12:46, speaking of the Passover lamb, commands, “It must be eaten inside the house; you must not break any of the bones”. • Psalm 34:20 anticipates a righteous sufferer: “He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken”. • John 19:36 records the crucifixion event: “These things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of His bones will be broken.’” A Crucifixion Scene Unlike the Others • Roman executioners regularly shattered victims’ legs to hasten death (John 19:31-32). • When they reached Jesus, “they found that He was already dead” (John 19:33); therefore no bone was broken. • A spear pierced His side instead (John 19:34), ensuring death without violating a single prophetic word. Five Layers of Significance 1. Prophetic Accuracy – God publicly verifies every promise. Even the detail of intact bones is fulfilled, underscoring the complete trustworthiness of Scripture. 2. The Passover Connection – Jesus dies at Passover as “Christ our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). – The unbroken bones mark Him as the flawless, acceptable substitute, just like the original lambs whose bones could not be broken. 3. Declaration of Sinless Perfection – A blemished sacrifice was unacceptable (Leviticus 22:20-22). Intact bones symbolize Jesus’ moral and spiritual wholeness—spotless, undefiled, entirely fit to bear sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). 4. Sovereign Control in Suffering – Soldiers acted on their own impulses, yet every swing of the mallet is restrained by heaven. God’s plan rules over human brutality, turning the cross into redemption, not tragedy. 5. Assurance for Believers – If God is faithful in minutiae, He will surely keep the grand promises—resurrection, forgiveness, eternal life. The unbroken bones invite confidence: “He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Echoes of Redemption Still Heard Today • The intact skeleton of the slain Lamb proclaims that salvation is finished, not fragile. • Every Communion cup lifts this truth again: the Lamb was crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5) yet never shattered, so that we who are broken by sin might be made whole in Him. Live, then, with unshakeable certainty—every detail God planned for His Son has been carried out, and every detail He has planned for you will be as well. |
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