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. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
The details of prophecy are important. The meaning is only revealed if you look at it the right way. Prophecies are a lot like a mystery novel.
In a mystery, the facts are presented one at a time. Usually, there are a fair number of “red herrings.” Red herrings are those false clues that lead only to dead ends. Then there are the lies and obfuscations of the guilty. Oh yes, and everyone is guilty of something.
Solving the mystery usually involves sorting out what is not true from what is true. While we, the reader, find ourselves led down one false trail after another, The Sleuth doggedly sticks to the trail of Truth. Finally, in the end, the Truth is revealed, and The Sleuth explains everything.
Some things are only obvious in retrospect. Before the arrival of Jesus, the prophetic clues seemed unclear. With Jesus here on earth, the clues start to fall into place. Today’s clues, that “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, “They will look on the one they have pierced,” take on special significance as we see Jesus hanging from the cross.
Application: Perhaps the most common mistake a human can make is to assume that our perspective is Truth. When we do that, we judge everything we run across by a false standard. Compared to the breadth of the universe and the span of all eternity our perspective is very tiny. So small that we are effectively looking at all mankind’s existence through a keyhole. God proves over and over again that His perspective is one hundred percent reliable.
Food for Thought: What does it tell us about God that He can provide specific details about Jesus’ death hundreds of years before Jesus is born?
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He is the Sovereign God who knows all. He created time and space and transcends them both. Thus, He knows the future and is a reliable source. He cannot lie as that is against His nature. Thus, when He says something is going to happen in the future we can bank on it.
To add on to Rich’s response, it gives me full confidence (faith) in the things (prophesies) that are not yet seen.
Amen JEC