Jesus' Legs are Not Broken

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.  The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.  But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  John 19:31-33

The ultimate in complexity.  In depravity.  In hypocrisy.

It had not bothered the Jewish leaders in the least to incite a riot, level false charges, plot a murder, ensnare someone into betrayal, turn over an innocent man for capital punishment.  But they did not want to be unclean for this special Sabbath day.

That just wouldn't be right.

I wonder what they thought when the soldiers came to Jesus, and didn't break his legs.  In spite of everything Jesus had been through, he died more quickly than expected; more quickly than the thieves hanging next to him. 

What more evidence did they need that this man really was the son of God?  What else did they need to show he gave his life, no one took it?  What other demonstration did they need to see that they were the sinners, not Jesus?

Matthew Henry's commentary says:   "The pretended sanctity of hypocrites is abominable. These Jews would be thought to bear a great regard for the sabbath, and yet had not regard to justice and righteousness; they made no conscience of bringing an innocent and excellent person to the cross, and yet scrupled letting a dead body hang upon the cross."  

I wonder where these officials, these church leaders are right now.  Throughout church history, great men have done horrible things in the name of God.  God said to not take His name in vain; could there be a greater example of it than this?  When the church sins, and sins greatly, is God not offended greatly?

I wonder where they are.  I wonder how they have spent the last 2,000 years.  I wonder where they will spend eternity.

When they saw that Jesus was already dead, were their hearts pierced with guilt?

Did they finally understand what they had done?

Did they think about it at all?

As they began their preparations for the Sabbath day - for this special Sabbath, the Passover - did God remove Himself from this celebration?  Did they feel His absence?  Did they even notice?

We know what Jesus' followers did now.  They mourned.  They hid.  They came together in sorrow and fear and, we can assume, wallowed in each others' misery.  As they should.

But what did these officials do?

I wonder.  I wonder about us today, about how we spend our Saturdays before we go to church on Sunday.  I wonder about how our homes are on Sunday mornings, what happens in the car on the way to church, before we walk through the parking lot with our fake smiles and hugs, pretending to be something that we are not.

We're broken people.  We don't need to pretend. 

I wonder what would happen if a church cared more about being real with each other - and with God! - and less about appearing holy.  I wonder what would happen if Christians worried less about looking holy than being holy.  I wonder what would happen if we asked God to make us real, really real, with Him and with each other.

I wonder.  Do you?