“Not one of His bones shall be broken.”

Question: Glenn writes, “During our New Years Eve party at a friend’s home we had a discussion about what it means in Scripture when it says that Christ was a perfect sacrifice. My question is specifically dealing with the prophesy in the Old Testament, that was fulfilled at the crucifixion in John 19:36, where it says, “Not one of His bones were broken.” In our discussion there was a bit of a disagreement as to what this verse means. Concerning His bones, is it correct to say that this would even include when Christ was a child, that not one of His bones would be broken? In what way was Christ a perfect sacrifice?

Answer: I know of no specific verse in the King James (or New King James) versions which describes Christ as “a perfect sacrifice.” Almost always the word “perfect” applies to ordinary human beings. And rather than having the sense of sinless perfection it usually means complete or mature. (The New King James renders it so in verses such as: I Cor. 2:6, “those who are mature;” II Tim. 3:17, “that the man of God may be complete.”) That Christ is the one and only truly perfect Sacrifice is without doubt. This perfection related both to the kind of sacrifice offered (i.e. His Person) and the result of the sacrifice. Christ was sinlessly perfect in Himself in the most absolute sense, using the word to mean flawless, without the slightest imperfection. He is compared to “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Pet. 1:18-19; cf. 2:22; Heb. 4:15). He is the only One to ever walk this earth who lived his whole life utterly and completely without sin.

Then, Christ’s sacrifice was perfect in its outcome in that it fully accomplished the Father’s will. In his multi-volume work on theology, Lewis Sperry Chafer discusses some fourteen things accomplished by the death of Christ (Systematic Theology, Vol. III, pp. 55-115). For simplicity’s sake, let me mention just one: that Christ fully and completely paid the debt of the world’s sin (I Jn. 2:2). There is not a single human sin that has been or ever will be committed that was not paid for at the cross. The Lord “laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). It is a perfect redemption.

I am not sure what connection your question makes between these things and John 19:36. However, let me comment on the verse. John quotes a psalm of David and applies it to Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (cf. Ps. 34:20). We know next to nothing about the childhood or the teen years of Jesus (except about the trip to Jerusalem when He was twelve, Lk. 2:41-52). Therefore, we simply do not know whether He suffered any broken bones in His youth. I am sure in many ways He was a normal active boy. However, Satan later applied Psalm 91:11-12 to Christ: “He shall give His angels charge over You…lest You dash Your foot against a stone” (Matt. 4:6). Was he correct in seeing this as referring to Christ? It would seem so. And if so, it does suggest God’s special protection of Him.

All this aside, the reference in John 19:36 is not to Jesus’ life in general but to the crucifixion in particular. With this brutal method of execution it sometimes took many hours–even days–for death to come. Victims would often brace their feet against the vertical post of the cross and push, to lift the weight off the nails through their wrists (not the palms, as is often depicted). This upward thrust took pressure off the diaphragm and aided breathing. But if the Romans wished to hasten death and bring the torture to an end, they would shatter the legs of the individual, making this impossible. Death often came quickly by suffocation as a result.

The Jews were anxious to hasten Jesus’ death so His body could be removed before the beginning of the Sabbath (Jn. 19:31), which, according to Jewish reckoning, officially began at 6:00 p.m. Friday. But when a soldier came to Jesus that day, it was evident He was already dead (vs. 33), so he did not break the leg bones. He did however thrust Him through the heart with a spear (vs. 34), fulfilling yet another Old Testament prophecy (Zech. 12:10). Thus, from the human perspective, the bones were left intact simply because it was unnecessary to break them. It served no valid purpose. But from God’s perspective it was according to plan.

The Jews were specifically taught not to break the bones of the Passover lamb (Exod. 12:46; Num. 9:12), and the Lord Jesus Christ was Himself the fulfilment of the Jewish Passover ceremony (I Cor. 5:7; cf. Jn. 1:29). There are several possible reasons for the leg bones of the lamb (and of Christ, the Lamb of God) to be left intact.

1. It is understandable that the Passover lamb was to be handled with special reverence because it was a picture of Christ.
2. The bones being unbroken suggests unity and wholeness, perhaps symbolizing the oneness of the spiritual body of Christ (Eph. 4:4).
3. The legs relate to the walk or behaviour, and there was a wholeness and perfection in the daily walk of the Son of God. (Cf. Ps. 51:7-9, where the destructive effects of sin are compared to broken bones.)