Pierced Jesus' Side

John 19:31-35 – Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 – If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on^[b] me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

Application:

• ·         God had condemned murder, and hanging on a pole symbolized divine judgment and rejection.
• ·         Christ accepted the full punishment of our sins, thus becoming “a curse for us”.
• ·         People were not to believe “in” John the Baptist but “through” him. John’s purpose was to draw them to believe in Christ

All Scripture verses taken from NIV