No Broken Bones
The intricate details of prophetic scripture verify that God is real and the Bible is His word. One of the greatest examples of this is a prophecy tucked away in Psalm 34:20 which reads, “He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.” This Psalm was written by David about 1000 years B.C., some 400 years before the Romans began using crucifixion as a form of executing criminals. Therefore he knew nothing about crucifixion. The Psalm’s reference to “no broken bones” becomes significant when we consider that Roman executors would break the legs of one being crucified to hasten the victim’s death. This was due to the fact that someone hanging on a cross had to use their legs to push themselves up in order to get air into their lungs then fall back down to exhale. Breaking their legs would cause the victim to die of asphyxiation within minutes. Here is the New Testament record of Jesus’ death on the cross about one thousand years after David penned his prophecy.
Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and 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 out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
This is a powerful witness to the veracity and trustworthiness of the Scriptures for two reasons. First, it clearly demonstrates that God told David to write what he wrote for only God could know that the Romans would start crucifying people 400 years later and that His Son Jesus would be nailed to a cross and be crucified about 1000 years later. And only God could have known that His Son would avoid having His legs broken. This leads to the second powerful witness: the fact that Jesus was not a victim but rather He laid down His life voluntarily. For Jesus Himself had said, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17-18).
Both of these wonderful truths greatly encourage me. They remind me that that I have a trustworthy source of truth. The Bible is the inspired, God breathed book from heaven and an infallible source of authority for knowing the mind and heart of God who alone is its author. Yes, He used men to write it but He so controlled them that the very words they penned were the exact words He wanted them to write.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Take the guesswork out of life! Read the Bible for in it you will find the very words of God. He spoke the words through the authors by His Holy Spirit and He controlled them in such a way that His words were recorded accurately and without error. You can trust what the Bible says.
A thousand years before Jesus died on the cross it was prophesied that none of His bones would be broken. And when an incident occurred while he was on the cross that called for His legs to be broken God made sure it wouldn’t happen so that all of us would know that He is real and that He really did send Jesus to be our Savior. Trust Him today!
Pastor Dan