Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, 34 but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe. 36 For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: “Not a bone of it will be broken.” 37 And again another passage says: “They will look upon him whom they have pierced.” 38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. 39 Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. 41 Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. 42 So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
According to Jewish law, the corpse of a man guilty of a capital offense who was hung on a tree could not remain there overnight (Deut. 21:23). That is why the Jewish leaders asked for the legs of those who were crucified to be broken so that Jesus and the robbers would die and could be taken down from their crosses before sundown. Breaking the legs (v. 32) would hasten the process of suffocation because the weight of the body pulling down on the arms made breathing difficult. Those being crucified would not have been able to push themselves up with their legs to ease their breathing. Verse 33 could be a reference to Jesus as the Passover Lamb; “Your lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish (Ex.12:5, 10).” The blood and water (v. 34) may have been a reference to rivers of living water flowing from Jesus’ side (Jn. 7:38-39; 1 Jn. 5:6-7) as he shed his blood on the cross for our sins (Mt. 26:28). The Scripture reference for verse 36 is, “He watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken (Ps. 34:21).” Scripture references for verse 37 are, “Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered (Num. 21:9),” and “When they look on him whom they have thrust through, they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child (Zech. 12:10}.”
Nicodemus (Jn. 3:1, 9; 7:50) brought a large amount of spices to anoint Jesus for burial similar to Mary, Lazarus’ sister, who anointed Jesus with a large amount of expensive perfumed oil a few days before (Jn. 12:3). The tradition in the Johannine community held that Jesus was anointed and wrapped in strips of linen similar to Lazarus (v. 40; Jn. 11:44). The description of the exact location of the tomb (vv. 41-42) could be so that the tomb could be easily identified.
Almighty God, Scripture tells us that Jesus was “pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity.” Help us to truly understand what he has done for us and to turn our hearts and minds to him that we too may be healed by his wounds. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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