Every aspect of the Lord’s death was according to God’s sovereignty. Under God’s sovereignty, not one of the Lord’s bones was broken (19:31-33, 36). The Jews, not wanting the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath, asked Pilate that their legs might be broken. The soldiers then broke the legs of the two thieves who had been crucified with the Lord. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He had already died. Since the Lord had already died, it was needless for them to break His bones. This indicates that, in a sense, the Lord Jesus was not put to death by human hands but that He died Himself. Although He was crucified, He died Himself, fulfilling His word spoken in 10:17 and 18, where He said, “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again.” Apparently, Jesus was killed; actually, He laid down His psuche life, His soulish life, and died. While the two criminals were killed, Jesus was not. Rather, He laid down His psuche life for our redemption. Since He had already died, the soldiers did not break His legs. This sovereignly fulfilled the prophecy which said, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken” (19:36).
One of the soldiers, being concerned that the Lord might not actually be dead, pierced His side with a spear. This fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10: “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” It was absolutely of God’s sovereignty that these things happened in such a meaningful and wonderful way. This proves strongly that the Lord’s death was not accidental, but that it was planned by God “before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:19-20).
The Lord’s having none of His bones broken was typified by the bones of the Passover lamb. In the institution of the Passover, God ordained that none of the lamb’s bones should be broken (Exo. 12:46; Num. 9:11-12). This was a wonderful type. Later, in Psalm 34:20 this was also prophesied. Both the type and the prophecy were fulfilled in the Lord’s death on the cross.
In Genesis 2:21-23, we find the Scripture’s first mention of “bone,” which was a rib taken out of Adam for producing and building Eve as a match for Adam. Eve was a type of the church produced with the Lord’s resurrection life that was released out of Him. In other words, the church came out of the resurrection life, the unbroken life, the incorruptible life of Christ. His is the life which can never be hurt, damaged, or broken. If one of the Lord’s bones could be broken, it would mean that the Lord’s resurrection life could be hurt and broken by death.
By referring to Genesis 2, we can easily see the significance of bone—that it signifies resurrection life. One scriptural principle is the principle of the first mention. According to this principle, the first mention of an item in the Bible determines its meaning throughout the Scriptures. By applying this principle to the bones of the Gospel of John, we see that the first place which mentions something about a bone is Genesis 2, where a rib was taken out of Adam and made into a bride. Eve is a type of the church, Adam is a type of Christ, and the bone is a type of the resurrection life of Christ. As Eve came out of Adam’s bone, so the church comes out of Christ’s resurrection life. Eve was made from a bone, and the church is produced by the divine life. Thus, the bone is a type of resurrection life. The unbroken bone of the Lord Jesus indicates that He is the resurrection life which cannot be broken by death. Hence, bone is a symbol, a figure, of the Lord’s resurrection life, which nothing can break. The Lord’s side was pierced, but not one of His bones was broken. This signifies that though the Lord’s physical life was killed, His resurrection life, the very divine life, could not be hurt or damaged by anything. Jesus was hurt, damaged, and put to death in His psuche life, His soulish life, not in His divine life. Although His human life was destroyed by death, His divine life could not be damaged. This is the life with which the church is produced and built.
After the incident regarding the Lord’s bones, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and “immediately there came out blood and water” (19:34, 37). Although the Lord’s resurrection life was not broken, He Himself was broken that His divine life might be released. Here, water signifies life. This is portrayed in the Old Testament by the smitten rock out of which the living waters flowed to quench the thirst of the children of Israel (Exo. 17:6). The Lord is the rock who was smitten on the cross. He was broken so that His divine life could flow out of Him as living water. Not only did water come out of Him but also blood, the symbol of redemption. Before we can take the Lord as the living water of life, we must firstly be cleansed. Thus, blood is mentioned as the first item and water as the second. After we have been cleansed by the blood, then we are enabled to receive the Lord as life. These points cannot be found in the other three Gospels. They are only found in the Gospel of John, because it is a book which reveals that the Lord as life could only have been released by His death. While the record of the other three Gospels is mainly for redemption, the record in the Gospel of John is mainly for the release of life.