John 19:31-37

DISCOURSE: 1727
THE TREATMENT OF OUR LORD’S BODY ON THE CROSS

John 19:31. 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 an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake 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 brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout 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.

UNSEARCHABLE is the depravity of the human heart. Who that had not seen it recorded in the Holy Scriptures, would conceive it possible, that those who felt no remorse for having crucified the Lord of Glory, should yet pretend to feel such reverence for the Sabbath-day, as not to endure the thought of its being profaned by his body remaining on the cross on that day? Horrid hypocrisy! This was indeed to “strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.” What if there were extraordinary reasons for sanctifying that day, as being the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Note: Leviticus 23:5. Whitby, and others after him, appear to me to be under a mistake in calling it the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the day for presenting the sheaf of new corn; which was to be, not on the sabbath-day, but on the morrow after it. Leviticus 23:15.]; could they be supposed to operate on a mind that was dead to all sense of justice or of mercy? But all was wisely ordered and overruled by God, who by this means wrought more effectually to the establishing of the claims of Jesus to the Messiahship: for from hence arose their singular treatment of our Lord’s body; which, together with the instruction to be gathered from it, will form the subject of our present discourse.

Let us consider,

I. Their singular treatment of our Lord’s body—

It was truly singular—
[The Romans were accustomed to leave upon the cross those who were so put to death, in order that they might be devoured by birds of prey. Agreeably therefore to their customs, the bodies of Jesus and of the malefactors should have been kept upon the cross. But the Jews, who on some occasions put persons to death by hanging, were forbidden to keep them on the tree all night [Note: Deuteronomy 21:23.]: and, as the next day was so great a day, they thought it right to interest themselves with the governor to adopt on that occasion the Jewish, instead of the Roman, plan; proposing however, that the legs of the crucified persons should be broken, in order to effect and secure their death; thus making up by increased agony what might be equivalent to the longer duration of their misery. Permission is granted; the order given; and in part executed: the legs of both the malefactors were broken; but, our Lord being already dead, the soldiers forbore to execute this order upon him. But one of the soldiers, wantonly and of his own mind, thrust a spear into his side; from whence issued a stream of blood and water; the water flowing from the pericardium, and the blood from the heart itself.

Now this we call singular: for it was strange, that an order given in relation to him as well as the other two, should be executed on them, and not on him; and it was strange also that an unauthorized act of violence should be committed upon him, and not on them: for, if done to them, it would have been an act of mercy; but, as done to him, it was only an act of malice, as impotent as it was inhuman.]

But God had wise ends in permitting this—
[There were prophecies yet remaining to be accomplished: and it was necessary that every part of Scripture should be fulfilled. Now it had been ordained respecting the paschal lamb, that “not a bone of it should be broken [Note: Exodus 12:46; Numbers 15:12.].” This lamb was intended type a type of Christ; and that peculiar appointment in the type must be verified in the antitype: and, if not verified in him, Christ’s claim to the Messiahship must be void. Behold then, how nearly Jesus’ title to the Messiahship was destroyed! The proposal of breaking the legs was made, and acceded to, in reference to him as well as to the malefactors who were crucified with him: it was also executed first on one of the malefactors, then on the other. Why does not the man proceed? Why does he presume to disobey the order? Who has told him to exercise his own discretion? Who interferes about the matter, or attempts either to restrain or to dissuade the executioner. Had he but given the intended blow, there had been an end to all Jesus’ pretensions to the Messiahship. But an invisible hand restrained him; God himself overruled his mind; and therefore overruled it, that the Scripture might not be broken.

But why does one of the soldiers take upon him to offer an indignity to the body of Jesus, without any commission or order from his superiors? There was another prophecy to be fulfilled, which had said, that the Jews should look on Him whom they had pierced [Note: Zechariah 12:10.]:” therefore God put it into the heart of his enemies to do to him what they did not to the others, and to refrain from doing to him what they did to the others; to do to him what they were not ordered, and to refrain from doing what they were ordered. If this also had not been done, our Lord’s claim to the Messiahship had failed; and equally so, if the spear, instead of piercing between the bones, had struck a rib. But there are no such things as casualties, where God’s will is concerned: for though every person is a free agent in what he does, he acts no less certainly, than if God used him as an involuntary machine: “God’s counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure [Note: Isaiah 46:10.].” The Scriptures had spoken these things, and it was not possible that “one jot or tittle of them should fail.”]

The more minutely we consider this subject, the more important will appear,

II.

The instruction to be gathered from it—

Whilst the foregoing circumstances evince the universal agency of God’s providence, they are particularly suited to shew us,

1. What grounds we have for hope—

[The preceding circumstances fully establish the Messiahship of Jesus. But here arises a question; ‘How do I know that he really died? I know that he was to “pour out his soul unto death [Note: Isaiah 53:12.]:” but am I sure that he really died? I know that just before the time he was supposed to die, he spoke repeatedly with so loud a voice, as clearly to prove that his strength was by no means exhausted: I know that “Pilate himself marvelled at his being reported to be so soon dead:” am I sure then that he was not merely in a swoon? for if that were the case, all that he did and suffered can be of no avail for my salvation. If he did not die, he did not atone for sin: if he did not die, the story of his resurrection is false; and, as the Apostle himself has said, our faith is vain.’ But, blessed be God! we are not left to entertain any such doubts: for the officious malice of the soldier who pierced him to the heart, put it beyond a possibility of doubt. Had Jesus been in perfect health, this wound must have killed him instantly: and so publicly was it given, that amidst all the falsehoods invented by the Jews to justify their rejection of him, they never thought of saying that he did not die. Behold then, this point is clear: the Messiah was to die; and this person, to whom so many testimonies were given, did really die; “he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” The atonement then that was to be made for sin, was really made: the debt due for our iniquities was discharged: and since “He who knew no sin was made a sin-offering for us, we, who have no righteousness, may be made the righteousness of God in him.”]

2. What blessings we are to expect—

[The Apostle’s solicitude to impress our minds with the things which he beheld, marks unquestionably the importance of them. He declares that his testimony was founded, not on report, but on ocular demonstration; and he demands credit of us upon that ground. But what was it which he so particularly noticed? was it the wound inflicted with the spear? No; it was the issue of water and of blood from the wound. And why was he so particular in the mention of it? it was because there was a deep mystery contained in it, even a typical exhibition of those blessings which we are to receive from him. If we look into the Scriptures, we shall find our justification constantly ascribed to his blood, as cleansing us from sin [Note: Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:13.Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 1:5.]; and, in like manner, our sanctification as uniformly ascribed to his Spirit [Note: Romans 8:9; Romans 8:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13.Ephesians 5:25.]. Under the law, these two blessings, together with the mode of their conveyance to our souls, were typified by the blood of the sacrifices, which purged from guilt, and by the various washings, which cleansed from defilement: and they were distinctly promised to the Church by express declarations of God himself [Note: Zechariah 13:1.Ezekiel 36:25.]. At the introduction of the Christian dispensation, they were mystically represented by the event of which we are speaking, where the blood and water, though flowing in one stream, were distinctly seen. This surprising appearance was designed to shew, that both blessings flow equally from the pierced side of Christ. They flow together, to shew, that we are not to expect the one without the other; and they are kept distinct, to shew, that the blessings are perfectly distinct, and must never be confounded.

We will endeavour, in few words, to render this more clear. Faith and holiness are distinct things, even as blood and water are distinct: faith is necessary to procure for us a title to heaven; and holiness is necessary to make us meet for heaven: moreover, we must apply to ourselves the blood, in order to obtain the one; and we must also be sprinkled with the water, in order to obtain the other [Note: Hebrews 10:22.]. We must take care also not to mix the two: it is the blood alone that justifies, and the Spirit alone that renews: our justification by faith will not supersede the necessity of holiness; nor will our renovation by the Spirit supersede the necessity of faith in Christ. We must understand the proper offices of each; and must keep each in its proper place: only we must remember, that they both flow from the wounded side of Christ; and that Christ is the only fountain from whence either the one or the other can be derived.

It is possible that this interpretation may appear fanciful: but it will no longer be thought so, if only we consult the exposition which St. John himself has given us of this mystery: “This,” says he, “is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood [Note: 1 John 5:6.]:” from whence we may fairly infer, that “what God has so joined together, we must never attempt to put asunder.”]

3. What dispositions we are to cultivate—

[The latter prophecy referred to in our text says, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced:” and the prophet adds, “They shall mourn and be in bitterness, as one mourneth for his only son.” Now this shews the two dispositions which we should exercise towards our adorable Lord and Saviour: we should “look to him” with penitence and faith. Never can we mourn too deeply, when we reflect that it was our sin that crucified the Lord of glory: the Jews and Romans were the instruments; but our iniquities were the cause of all his sufferings: “He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities” Nay more, by our sins we have “crucified the Lord afresh, and put him to an open shame [Note: Hebrews 6:6.].” If then we feel that the Jews have cause to mourn, how should we mourn, who have done that with our eyes open, which they did only through the blindness and ignorance of their hearts! Yet, whilst we mourn and are in bitterness, we should not forget that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, that he “bare them all in his own body on the tree,” and that, by becoming a curse for us, he has redeemed us from the curse which our sins had merited. We should resemble the penitent under the law, who, whilst he presented his sacrifice to God and confessed over it his sins, put his hand upon the head of his sacrifice, and transferred his guilt to that as his substitute and surety. Thus should we do: in our view of Christ upon the cross, we should unite penitence and faith: to separate the two will destroy their efficacy altogether: an impenitent faith, and an unbelieving penitence, will leave us in no better state than that of devils, of whom St. James says, that “they believe and tremble [Note: James 2:19.].” Let us then cultivate these dispositions to our dying hour; and look unto Jesus with penitential faith, and with believing penitence.]