OUR FATHER WHOSE SON WAS REJECTED

The book of John chapter 19 descibes the actions that were taken after Jesus had died on the cross. 

Because it was a high Sabbath approaching the next day, the customs of the Jews was to remove bodies from the cross so that there were no bodies left hanging during the sabbath.

This meant that anyone who was still alive that afternooon needed to have their death hastened so that they could be removed and as such, any who were alive would have their legs broken which would prevent them from being able to push themselves up to breath and they would die quickly.

They did this to other people around Jesus but when they came to Jesus, they found that He was already dead and to ascertain this, one of the soldiers pierced His ribcage with a spear and water and blood pour out of His chest cavity and thus they did  not break His legs. 

31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Two prophecies were directly fulfilled by this event. 

1) Zachariah 12 verse 10 which says; “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

2) Psalm 34 verse 20 which says;  The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

One of Jesusˋ followers named ,Joseph of Arimathea, asked Pilate for permission to remove Jesusˋ body from the cross for burial and when permission was granted, Joseph and Nicodemus (a pharisee who had believed that Jesus was from God) took  Jesusˋ body down  and treated it with myrrh and aloes and covered it with linen.

The men then took the body to a nearby tomb that had recently been hewn out of the stone and had no one buried in it yet. They placed Jesusˋ body in the tomb and completed this before the end of the day of preparation.

Amen.

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