Lesson 53: John 19:28-42 - The Death and Burial

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him;
33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
36 For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.”
37 And again another Scripture says, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.”


38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.
39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.
40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Even though it was the religious leaders who wanted Jesus dead and pressured Pilate into an unjust verdict of death, even though Pilate proclaimed the verdict he knew was wrong, even though Judas betrayed Jesus to the leaders for what he probably thought would be a justifiable end – it was God who had planned all this. In lessons 59 and 60, we’ll look at some of the religious feasts which we’ve read about so we can see more clearly how God had planned for this very moment for thousands of years.

Some people would insist there was no reason for Jesus to die – God is proven to be weak by allowing Jesus to die! But this is not so. God’s righteous judgment had declared an eternal and just punishment for sin – death. If Jesus, who was bearing the sin of the world, had been saved from dying, then God’s judgment would have been proven to be a mistake and God would have become a liar. There was no other possible judgment for sin because God’s perfect holiness and purity demanded death just as surely as the brilliance of the sun demands the death of darkness in its presence.

*Have you accepted Jesus’ death in payment for your sin?