“But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’” ... And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Luke 23:34-46 ...
Jesus Was Pierced in His Side, but His Legs Were Not Broken
“He protects all his bones, Not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:20)
The day Jesus died on the cross was Friday, the day before the holy Sabbath. For the Jews, the Sabbath?Saturday?was a highly significant day, so they couldn’t leave the corpses on the cross. The Jews went to Governor Pilate and asked him to have the legs of the crucified men broken and their bodies taken down (John 19:31). With Pilate’s permission, the soldiers broke the legs of the criminals on either side of Jesus. But when they saw that Jesus was already dead, they did not break His legs. In those days, the legs of the crucified were broken because they were seen as cursed. Yet, Jesus’ legs were not broken. This was clearly the result of God’s providence.
The Reason Jesus’ Legs Were Not Broken
Though Jesus was completely sinless, He took the curse in our place and died on the wooden cross to redeem all mankind from the curse of the Law. It was by God’s providence that He was crucified, never because of His sin. Therefore, the enemy devil had no power to break even one of His bones. As Psalm 34:20 writes, “He protects all his bones, Not one of them is broken,” God protected Jesus’ bones from being broken. In Numbers 9:12, God commanded the Israelites to eat the lamb “without breaking any of its bones.” Likewise, in Exodus 12:46, He instructed them to eat the lamb’s meat but not to break any of its bones. The lamb here refers to Jesus Christ who was without any blemish or defect and loved us to the point of giving Himself as a peace offering. As God commanded, “Do not break any of the lamb’s bones,” none of Jesus’ bones were broken.
The Reason Jesus Was Pierced in His Side
John 19:33?34 reads, “But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. Yet one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” Although the Roman soldier had already confirmed Jesus' death, he pierced His side with a spear, causing blood and water to flow out. This act plainly shows the true evil of the human heart. As we find in Philippians 2:6?8, Jesus was in very nature God but did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped. He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. By humbling Himself and dying on the cross, He opened the way of salvation for us (Philippians 2:6?8). During His time on earth, Jesus set the captives free, gave abundance to the poor, and healed the sick and the weak. He devoted Himself day and night to proclaim the Word of God and save even one more soul. In this way, Jesus did only good and gave His all to bring life and restoration to people. Nevertheless, many of the Jews misunderstood, envied, and persecuted Him. In the end, they had Him crucified amidst contempt and mockery. Though Jesus had already breathed His last, a Roman soldier still pierced His side with a spear ? a truly horrific act that piled evil upon evil. This scene reveals the wickedness and stubbornness of the human heart, exposing how deeply rooted our sinful nature is. Yet, God did not turn away from us even while we were in sin, but loved us to the very end by giving His only begotten Son. That deep love still calls out to us today and embraces us with unfathomable grace.
Manmin News 
22
