We turn once again this evening in John's gospel account to chapter 19, John 19. We're going to start reading in verse 16 where begins the account of Christ's death on the cross. John 19, starting at verse 16, then delivered he, and that he is Pilate, and the him is Jesus, then delivered he him, therefore, unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him. and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. This title then read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city, and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not the King of the Jews, but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, what I have written, I have written. And the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts to every soldier apart, and also his coat. Now the coat was without seam woven from the top throughout. They said, therefore, among themselves, let us not rend it, but cast lots for it. Whose it shall be? that the scripture might be fulfilled which saith, they parted my raiment among them and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Cleophas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. I want to stop reading the chapter at this point. We'll take up with it again. we ought to take note of something in John's gospel account. Every gospel account, of course, is unique in its own way, and the same is true of John's gospel account. If you notice, he records for us in these last couple of verses we read the third crossword, where Jesus now addresses his mother and then, in turn, addresses his apostle, John. He tells John, virtually, take care of my mother. And he said to his mother, go with John. And we are told right there at the end of verse 27, that that disciple took her onto his own home, and that he did that from that particular hour on. That explains for us a bit of a time gap that takes place in this chapter of John between verse 27 and verse 28. It was, of course, at that time that John took Mary to his own home and there stayed with her for a little while, probably speaking words of comfort to Mary at that point. But then after a little while, he returned to the cross and john witnesses their the last words now that jesus spoke on the cross he witnessed that last crossword it is finished and then that tells you and me that john was indeed in by witness now of the death of jesus christ even though the other gospel accounts fill in that gap that john has here in his gospel account nevertheless john was there to see jesus give up the ghost And he took note of the fact that Jesus therefore died of his own accord. He laid down his own life. And that gives us a bit of an understanding now of John's gospel account. It puts it in perspective. And we will see how that happens a little bit later on in our text tonight. We take off reading in verse 28 once again. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith I thirst. Now there was said a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon Hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Now verses 31 through 37 of this chapter will make up our text tonight. Verses 31 through 37. The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was a high day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the first and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record and his record is true and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, a bone of him shall not be broken. And again, another scripture saith, they shall look on him whom they pierced." This far we read God's word tonight. As we mentioned, This account of John is, in fact, a unique account. None of the other accounts record the verses that we're going to be considering tonight. But as usual, John always looks specifically for those particular events in Jesus' ministry and now also in his death that proves that Jesus is the very Son of God who comes into this world in order to accomplish salvation for his church. Not only does John prove that Jesus is the promised Messiah by quoting Old Testament scriptures regarding him, But John also proves this by means of what specifically now took place at the cross before they took Jesus down from that cross. The event of our text tonight takes place really after the crucifixion and the death of Jesus Christ. So we're not considering tonight the crucifixion itself. But this does not mean that it is not appropriate that we consider this particular word of God tonight in a Good Friday service. It most certainly is. And we'll discover that as we consider the event before us as well. Jesus had already died by the time the actions that we read of now have taken place. Christ had already accomplished the work of salvation for his church. And we know that because of those words that he spoke yet before he died, it is finished. My work has been accomplished. But the event of our text is nevertheless a very real an important event that needs explanation. And that's why John includes it too in his Gospel account. Consider with me tonight, looking on him they pierced. Looking on him they pierced. In the first place we consider the gruesome act Breaking legs, sticking a spear in one's side, a gruesome act. Secondly, the blessed significance of that. And then finally, the true witness that John gives to you and to me. It was a little after three o'clock on Friday afternoon. Jesus had given up the ghost. He had died. And since the Jewish Sabbath began at 6 o'clock, that left very little time between Jesus' death and The Sabbath day in very little time to prepare for that Sabbath day Besides the Sabbath day we are told by John that was soon to be Celebrated was a high day. That is a special Sabbath day And it was a special Sabbath day because it was that final Sabbath that brought the Passover week to its end it was a Sabbath that therefore was a day of celebration and a day of great joy for those who had celebrated the Passover now in Jerusalem for that reason the Jews that is now the ruling body of the Jews or the Sanhedrin besought Pilate to take these bodies of these three men down from the cross that was according again to the laws of Moses. We read of that in Deuteronomy chapter 21 verses 22 and 23. And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day. For he that is hanged is accursed of God, that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. But that's probably not what truly motivated the Sanhedrin to take that body of Jesus down from the cross. What truly motivated them is the need to get this dastardly deed behind them so that now with a clear conscience they could go forth on the Sabbath day with great joy and celebrate that final day of the Passover. And likewise, these wicked Jews did not want the people to linger there around the scene of the cross. The sooner that Jesus was put to death and buried and gotten out of the way, the better. Sanhedrin had now accomplished what they wanted, and they wanted to move on at this point. They had accomplished the getting rid of their enemy, Jesus. So they come to Pilate, who after all was in charge yet of Jesus' execution, and they beseech him. That term literally means they respectfully requested of Pilate that the legs of those crucified might be broken. And that in order that they might die more quickly. and their bodies might then be removed and taken from the crosses. It was not as if these wicked Jews went to Pilate expecting to take these thieves and Jesus down from the cross and have their legs broken and then let them go free. That would of course defeat the very purpose of the crucifixion itself. They wanted them to die. So they wanted them to die by means of breaking their legs. You see, when a person hung on the cross, then their legs were part of the mainstay that kept them upright on that cross. That's why it was such a slow and agonizing death, because as their legs started to give way, their body would sag on the cross. Well, breaking their legs would hurry up the process. Immediately, having broken their legs, their body would just be hanging now by their arms, their chin would be pushed against their chest, and they would stop breathing. In other words, they would suffocate while they were hanging there on the cross, bringing their death on a little bit more quickly, or a lot more quickly, than if they were to be left there with normal legs. So that was the purpose of the breaking of the legs of these thieves. Besides, it would give the Sanhedrin just one more opportunity to vent their rage against this man, Jesus, whom they hated so much. It seems Pilate did not even hesitate to give them what they heeded or what they requested. Perhaps he was sick of the whole affair just as much as what the Jews were sick of it. At any rate, he granted permission and sent his soldiers to Calvary with the order to break their legs. And it was that order of Pilate now that gave rise to this horribly cruel and gruesome act that we read of in our text tonight. We read in verse 32, then came the soldiers and break the legs of the first and of the other which was crucified with him." Jesus had been hung between these two thieves. Jesus was in the midst of them, John tells us. One on either side of Jesus. And yet, these soldiers came to the cross and instead of going in order, they went to the one thief, they broke his legs, skipped over Jesus and then went to the other thief and broke his legs too. Why they hesitated, we cannot be sure. Perhaps there was a little bit of a fear concerning this man because of the signs that had taken place when Jesus had died. Signs that had made the centurion declare truly this man was the son of God. They feared him. But eventually of course, they came to Jesus. And these hardened soldiers, with no pity at all, shattered the legs of these thieves and now looked upon the dead form of Jesus hanging there on the cross. They went against orders. Whether the person was alive or dead, they had received orders, break the legs of them all. but providentially God spared his son by guiding the thoughts and therefore the subsequent actions of these soldiers and they did not break those legs of our Savior. Must have surprised them that Jesus was already dead. Rarely at this point would a person be dead so quickly by hanging on the cross. Sometimes it took days before a person would actually die on a cross. And that Jesus was dead, of course, was because Jesus had already given his life up willingly at this point. Jesus said that to his disciples before he died, too. No man will take away my life. No man takes my life. I lay down my own life and I take it up again. And all of this becomes true, of course, in the scriptures. So the soldiers do not follow orders. We read in verse 33, But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs. What was the need? Breaking the legs of a person who was crucified entailed a quicker death. Well, Jesus was already dead. Or so it seemed. It was not that these soldiers were now going to be merciful to Jesus. not now that they saw that he was dead. Not much fear anymore. In fact, one of the soldiers now took his spear and we are told that he pierced the side of Jesus with it. He was going to make sure that this man, Jesus, was truly dead. And we read of that action now in verse 34 of our text. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water. The term pierce, people of God, does not mean that they merely pricked him in the side to see whether he was dead or alive. The word pierce means to pierce through. And the piercing that is described here was meant to inflict a deadly or a mortal wound upon a person. The soldier thrust that spear into Jesus' side so that he might be able to slip the point under the ribs of Jesus and toward his heart. And that's what he did when he thrust that spear into the side of Jesus. And if Jesus had not died by means of the crucifixion, you can be sure of the fact that that spear thrust would have killed our Lord. So deeply did the spear penetrate his body that John, being an eyewitness of this account, was able to see blood come out and that intermingled with water. John records exactly now what he witnessed, that Jesus bled blood and water. And we can truly say that Jesus did this was a miracle. When one's heart stops beating, then there is no longer blood pumping through one's body. And anybody investigating a crime scene is able to tell you whether a wound was inflicted post-mortem, or after death, or pre-mortem, before death, and post-mortem because that wound doesn't bleed. But Jesus bled, and he bled blood and water. And John witnessed that. Now, it's striking, too, that John writes something similar of Jesus in his epistle. In 1 John 5, verse 6, we read this. This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood, and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. in verse 8 as well. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood. And these three agree in one. Now, John does not explain in his Gospel account that Jesus bled blood and water in order that he might fulfill the Scripture or that this had some special significance. And there are those who spiritualize this passage like crazy. But the fact of the matter is Blood and water came out, and John utilizes that to describe the very work of Jesus Christ Himself. You see, when Christ died on the cross, on the one hand, He died to pay the price for our sins and to remove our guilt. He suffered under the wrath of God. But there was another work that Christ performed on the cross, and that was the work of our sanctification. By means of Jesus' blood, you and I are cleansed from our sin, just as water cleanses us from the filth of our body. So there no doubt was some kind of significance that we can find also in this account. And it's not mere coincidence that the Apostle John records this in his epistle as well as in his gospel account. But again, John does not really explain that to us. He does not draw any kind of special attention to this blood and water that came out of Jesus, and neither is he interested in trying to explain this whole matter from a scientific point of view. John is more intent on finding the significance of this act of cruelty in Old Testament Scripture. He calls our attention, first of all, to the truth. that it was not mere coincidence that these soldiers did not break the legs of Jesus. We read in verse 36 of our text tonight, for these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled, a bone of him shall not be broken. That reference is one that points us to the Passover lamb. The very night the nation of Israel was delivered from the land of Egypt, then the people were commanded to slay a lamb and to spread its blood on their doorposts, but then also to eat that lamb. They were to eat that lamb ready to leave the land of Egypt. We read of that in Exodus 12, verses 3 through 5. This is what Moses was to tell the children of Israel. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, in the 10th day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls. Every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. He shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats. He explains that a little bit further in this chapter, but again, we read of that in verse eight. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast it with fire and unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. And then finally, in verse 11, and thus shall you eat it with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and ye shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. Now, this was a Passover, of course, that the Lord instituted at that night, on that very night in the land of Egypt. And it was one that was to be a perpetual ceremony throughout the generations of the nation of Israel. Every year, they had to celebrate the Passover feast by means of the slaying of that particular lamb. There was one more detail in the slaying of this lamb that may not be overlooked. And that's found in that same chapter, Exodus 12, a little bit later on in verse 46. In one house shall it be eaten, thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house, neither shall ye break a bone thereof. In the slaying of that lamb, the skinning of that lamb, the cooking or the roasting of that lamb, a bone may not be broken. Now that was a law. that was later recorded in the laws of Moses. And we read of that in Numbers 9 verse 12. They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it. According to all the ordinances of the Passover, they shall keep it." So that when John now makes reference to the fact that the Old Testament Scriptures say, not a bone of his shall be broken, he's making reference, you see, to that Passover lamb. How amazing is that, people of God? I wonder John the Baptist, when he pointed out Jesus walking along the River Jordan, said, Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the Lamb of God who is sent by God to be slain for the purpose of saving his people from their sins. The blessed significance, therefore, of the failure of these soldiers to break the bones of Jesus' legs reveals the truth that Jesus suffered and died as a sacrifice for our sins. God providentially controlled what took place there at that cross. Because He had ordained it from all eternity, that not a birth, not a death, not a resurrection, but a resurrection in fulfillment of that Passover Lamb. That had been slain hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus was even born. Over and over and over again. Jesus is the Lamb. without spot, without blemish. He had no sin, and yet he was slain as a sacrifice for sin. Plus, he was slain in such a way that not one bone of his body was broken. Jesus becomes, for you and me, the perfect sacrifice for sin. And that we ought to see now tonight in the death of our Savior on the cross. He was slain for you and me in order to take away our sin and our guilt and in order to cleanse us in his redeeming blood. And that people of God should elicit from our hearts and souls tonight the song of praise that will be ours unto all eternity. a song that's recorded for you and me in Revelation. We read of it in Revelation 5 verses 12 and 13 of that chapter. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and glory and honor and strength and blessing Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And they fell down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. All of Scripture testifies to Christ as our Passover Lamb. And that song of praise should be on our lips tonight as we leave the house of God. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive honor and glory. Such then is the first truth that John finds in the account that we have before us tonight. John writes of the second beautiful truth in this act of gruesome cruelty in verse 37 now of our text tonight. And again, another scripture saith, they shall look on him whom they pierced. Now that's a rather interesting quote. Let's take it from the prophet Zechariah. In Zechariah 12, verse 10. And I, and this is God speaking now, and I will pour upon the house of David And upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Zechariah here in this particular prophecy refers to God himself. God is speaking here. And God therefore says this, they shall look upon me whom they pierced. Me, God, they shall look upon me. But then God switches to the term him instead of me. So he's talking about somebody else in this verse as well. And he states, they shall mourn for him. They shall mourn as one mourns, mind you, over the death of a firstborn son. Now, who is that person of whom God speaks? Well, it is that one from the context that we would find that in Zechariah 2, it is that one who comes of the seed of David. In verse 8 of this chapter in Zechariah, he writes that when the Son of David arises, then the house of David shall be as God. as the angel of the Lord. And we know the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was an Old Testament manifestation of Jesus Christ. Children learned that in catechism. Zechariah prophesies directly about the coming of Jesus Christ. He is the one that God's people will mourn. He is the firstborn Son of God, the natural Son of God. And is it not true, beloved saints, that God's people mourned when they stood there at the cross of Christ? Is it not true that they were in bitterness over His death? And is it not equally true that through this death of Jesus Christ, God poured out the spirit of grace and supplication upon his people, having reference now to the day of Pentecost when the spirit was poured out. Jesus had been sent by God in order to fulfill this particular prophecy of Zechariah. The soldiers pierced the side of our Savior in order that God might direct our attention now in Scripture to this particular passage. Isn't that amazing? God had ordained this from all eternity, prophesied of it long before Jesus was even born or had died. and he fulfills it now in Christ, exactly as he had ordained it. Tonight, we look on him whom they have pierced. John calls our attention to that. We look on him. John looked on him when he was pierced. The wicked world when he was pierced. In fact, they pierced him. When the world looks upon Jesus, it does so with an unbelieving heart. There is no ounce of pity for him. With cruelty, the wicked pierce him through, despising him, stumbling at the very cross of Jesus Christ. Unbelief is blinded, totally blinded to the Son of God and His work of salvation that He has performed for us. In the darkness of that unbelief, men and women are untouched by the Gospel today as well as they were then. They wallow about in their sin as pigs enjoy the mire, the filth of the mire. But that's not true of those who look upon Jesus with the eyes of faith. When they look upon their pierced one, this is what they see. This is what we see when we look upon the suffering of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. this first of all Jesus Christ is God John's emphasis on that you see God says in Zechariah they shall look upon me whom they have pierced Jesus Christ is that divinity that was sent forth from on high he is God who has come into our human flesh and in that flesh the Son of God was slain on our behalf We see that too when we look upon the cross of Jesus Christ tonight, don't we? We look upon the power of the cross. There's power in that cross. How is there power in that cross? You know, if Jesus were a mere man who died on the cross, his death wouldn't mean anything. Wouldn't mean nothing at all. there would be no power in that cross whatsoever. And then we could say, as so many others do today, well, Jesus' death on the cross left us this perfect example. Here was a man who was willing to die for his cause. So committed was he, and that's what we ought to do in our lives too. We ought to be committed to our causes in this life, even if it means that we die for that cause. What a good example that man Jesus left for us. Or, they might say, as others again do, That Jesus is the perfect example of what God could have done to us. Look at that good man, Jesus, what God did to him. You and I deserve a whole lot worse than that than Jesus. We can really be thankful that God hasn't done the same thing to us that he's done over there to that man, Jesus. If Jesus were a mere man, his death would mean nothing at all. Jesus is the Son of God. He's divine. The only natural Son of God, begotten of the Father. And in that, tonight, we find the power of Christ's cross. Christ suffered the eternal wrath of God while he hung there on that cross. A mere man would have been crushed under the burden of God's wrath. You would never be able to live to bestow the benefits of what he earned on you and me. That wasn't true of Christ. Christ was also God. And therefore, Christ not only could suffer under the hands of cruel men, that was little, but he could suffer under the eternal anger of God against our sins, bear that burden of God's anger, and then live to bestow on you the benefits that he has earned for us through his death. As the Son of God, He delivered us from the clutches of sin and Satan. That's what we look on when we look upon Him whom they pierced. That's what we look upon when we look upon the God whom we pierced. We're no better than the wicked world around us. And if we were there in that day, we would have probably been among the throngs of people that mocked Jesus as he hung on the cross. The cross reveals sin in its worst way. But with the eyes of faith, we see that that one who was pierced was pierced for us and died on the cross to take away our sin and our guilt. Now, that's what John wants us to understand by the account that we have before us, and he writes of that too in verse 35 now of our text. And he that saw it, John always refers to himself in the third person, he does not say and I, he writes, and he that saw it bare record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he saith true. that ye might believe." He was an eyewitness of the suffering and the death of our Savior. He saw these things with his very own eyes. John wants us to know that he's not fabricating some kind of a story in revealing the details of this account to you and to me. He was not following some cleverly devised fable or myth meant to convince us of something concerning this man Jesus that just was not true. John was an eyewitness of Christ's glory at the moment of transfiguration, but John was also an eyewitness of Christ's suffering and death. And what he sees now with his own eyes, he records for us. And he is not a liar. Even the world would admit that he's not a liar. because he is just simply relating to you and to me what he saw himself. But, as we said, the wicked of this world do not care what he saw. And they make no pretense in their disinterest. None at all. You don't see them sitting in church tonight, do you? But John emphasizes that he speaks the truth about Jesus. Speaking of himself, he writes, first of all, he that saw it bare record and his record is true. But then John adds one more statement, and that's this. He knows that he speaks true. John knows that he is speaking to you and to me the truth. He knows it. John recorded his gospel many, many years now after Jesus had died. He was the last one to record his gospel account. John records his gospel account. He knows. by means of the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. John knows that he set forth his account, and in this event is true, because he was infallibly moved by the Holy Spirit to write the Word of God. John knows that of himself. He didn't write this Gospel account being ignorant of that. John knows that he's being infallibly directed by the Spirit to write this account for our benefit. A word that is therefore infallible, a word that is without error. God somehow must have revealed that to him. And we do well to take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place. John gives us a more sure word of prophecy, to use the words of Peter in his epistle, a more sure word of prophecy than even those Old Testament prophets had given when they spoke of Jesus Christ. Because John now can speak of the fulfillment of that prophecy in Christ. So John informs us of that in our text. And he does that in order that we might believe. He records this event in order that we might know with a certainty and be assured in our hearts that Jesus was pierced for us. Do you believe that? Can you sing together with the saints in glory, worthy is the lamb that was slain? Truly, our Savior has received power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing. He has. And tonight we sing. Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb, forever and ever. Amen. Father in heaven, we are thankful that Thou art God and thankful that Thou hast sent Thy Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to suffer and die the death of the cross, to pay for our sins and to deliver us from the wrath which would otherwise have been leveled against us. We thank Thee for His work on our behalf. We thank Thee for the grace that Thou has shown us through Him. May we go forth rejoicing, and may we look forward also to the Lord's day when we will celebrate together the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Truly, the power of life eternal that is found in us is found in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. We thank Thee for Him. Go with us now tonight, and in the days that lie before, we pray this for Jesus' sake. Amen.