The Day of Crucifixion

Lesson #320

In the previous lesson we ended with Jesus receiving the sour wine and said, “It is finished,” and then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. “Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would 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” (John 19:31 ESV). According to John 19:14, the day of Preparation of the Passover began about the sixth hour the day before the Sabbath. Some translations say about the ninth hour or at three PM. Since there is confusion on this time I didn’t comment on this when we covered John 19:14, but I will comment now.

There is no question that Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation, the day before the Sabbath, but there is some evidence that this was not an ordinary Sabbath, but as John says, a high day. Indications are that one such day of preparation began on Thursday. If that is true then Jesus would have been crucified on Thursday, not on Friday. In that case Matthew 12:40 makes more sense: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” I say this only to show that not all agree that Jesus was crucified on Friday. For more reading on this you might go to this link and this link as a starting point.

Because of instructions given in Deuteronomy 21:22 – 23, the Jews wanted Pilate to have their legs broken so they would suffocate and die and could be taken down from the cross and buried before the Sabbath, or high day, started.

Pilate agreed to the request and “. . . the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him” (John 19:32 ESV). At this time the two that were crucified with Jesus were still alive and as a result their legs were broken to hasten their death. “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs” (John 19:33 ESV). It appears that the soldiers may have intentionally left Jesus until last to allow him a longer time to suffer, but when they came to him and found that he was already dead they refrained from breaking his legs as it would not incur any further suffering. If they had broken his legs, then Psalm 34:20 (ESV) would not have been fulfilled: “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”

The next four verses go together, but we will start here. “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34 ESV). Someone might ask which side was pierced as there are paintings showing either side. There are discussions about this, but since we are not told we do not know and leave it as not being important. Piercing the side of Jesus released both blood and water. This has led to other discussions about the meaning of blood and water. Some say the blood is an emblem of the Eucharist and the water as emblem of baptism. Others say they represent the old and new covenants. Protestants see them as emblems of justification, which is through the blood of the Lamb, and sanctification, which is through the washing of regeneration. The only point John is making is that blood and water came from the side of Jesus and that the soldiers verify that he is dead.

Prayer

Father, I find it interesting to consider the possibility that Jesus was crucified on Thursday and not on Friday as tradition supports. I like to approach such ideas with an open mind but embrace that which is important and true. The day of death is not critical to our salvation, but the fact that he died for our sin and rose from the dead is. From my research, I can easily embrace Thursday, but I am going to wait and ask Jesus when I am with him in heaven.