Numbers 9:12, John 19:31-37; March 14, 2016 - Day 17

THE PROPHESY:

“They shall leave none of it until the morning nor break any bone of it; according to all the statutes for the Passover they shall keep it:” Numbers 9:12

THE FULFILLMENT:

“Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from hanging on the cross on the Sabbath - for that Sabbath was a very solemn and important one - the Jews requested Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first one, and of the other who had been crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came (flowed) out. And he who saw it (the eyewitnesses) gives this evidence, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe also.” John 19:31-37

The book of Numbers was written some 1,500 years B.C. and we can see the foretelling of the Son of God being told and what He would do and what would be done to Him. There is no comparison on earth to the written Word of our God. To Him be all glory and honor!

The Hebrew people celebrated the time of Passover, when the blood of the lamb was spread over the door post and the angel of death passed over their homes. Much as the people in Moses’ day was kept from death by the pure sacrificial lamb so are we today, through the Lamb of God, kept from the hand of the enemy - death, the last enemy of God to be destroyed. Bless our God for His goodness and our Lord Jesus Christ for His love towards us!

As prophetic words tells us in Numbers, none of the bones of the lamb were to be broken. Yet, in John we see that the Jewish people were celebrating the day of Preparation for the Sabbath, a very “solemn and important one.” A dead body was “unclean” and their request to Pilate to have their legs broken was to bring a quick death to the men on the cross (without strength in the legs to hold them up, these men would suffocate on the cross). Jesus’ legs were going to be broken along with the robbers beside Him had He been found to be alive but the fulfillment of God’s Word was in place and would not return void. Though Jesus was found dead, the soldier pierced His side, fulfillment of yet another prophecy (“I am poured out like water..” Psalm 22:14). His blood cleansed us, the water of Life poured from His side for all those who would believe on Him and have everlasting life through Him. Praise His Holy Name!

The telling of this story did not come down second hand. It was not told like the “phone” game we played as kids, where one person whispers a message to a person and they whisper it to the next in line and that one to another till it goes to the last person who “repeats” the message for all to hear and we find it to be totally different than the original message or story. That is not the case here of the telling of Christ’s death. John was an “eyewitness”, he saw this happen and knows what he is telling is truth so that others may believe as well. So that we could believe as well! When John wrote this book that we read in Scripture they were others alive who could check out what he had to say. Records were kept in those days of events that took place. There were other who saw the events of Christ’s crucifixion take place. Had John’s account of Jesus’ death be false there would have been others who had seen what had taken place and would have proved him wrong. But they could not because John had told the truth. Truth prevails, praise be to God! Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is our sacrificial Lamb, without spot or blemish, without broken bones just as our heavenly Father spoke of through His prophets century upon centuries ago. We bow our knee to Him today for His is worthy of our praise and all glory and honor belong to Him alone!