That the Scriptures Might Be Fulfilled
Notes
Transcript
text
17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ ”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”
27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.
28 After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
31 It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.
32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
35 The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
36 Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”
37 And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”
PRAY
Introduction: Illustration - Guess Who game
Have any of you played the game “Guess Who?”
Description of the game: “Each player chooses a mystery character card and then using Yes or no questions, they try to figure out the other player's mystery person.”
For example, “Is your person a man? Does he have hair? Does he wear glasses? Does he have a hat?” etc.
By asking enough questions (and the right questions), you can narrow down the options, exclude certain characters, and eventually guess who your opponent’s character is.
In Genesis 3, right after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God pronounces the curse against the serpent which is also the first promise of the gospel - that God would one day send a redeemer to crush the head of the serpent and deliver people from the curse of sin and death.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
And in a sense, for the rest of the OT, people were playing the “Guess Who” game - trying to figure out who this coming Redeemer is.
Many different clues were given, and many others were hidden in plain sight.
The Redeemer would be a seed of the woman (Eve)
The Redeemer would come from Abraham’s family
The Redeemer would come from Isaac’s family
The Redeemer would come from Jacob’s family
The Redeemer would come through Judah’s line
The Redeemer would come through David’s family.
He would be a King and also a Priest.
He would be born of a virgin.
He would be born in Bethlehem.
He would suffer and die in place of His people
He would have to be both God and Man
… and many other clues.
Many other things were hidden and only become visible to us after the coming of Jesus Christ.
Details in the lives of many individuals find fulfillment in Christ. (Adam, Melchizedek, Isaac, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon)
Historical events such as the Exodus pointed toward spiritual realities that Christ would fulfill.
Many other direct or indirect prophecies looked forward to His coming.
Institutions such as the Tabernacle and everything in it, the Temple, the sacrifices, the festivals, etc. all pointed to realities that would be fulfilled in Christ.
And so, for thousands of years, it was like a Guess Who game. Who is the Redeemer going to be? What will he do?
And now, now that He has come, we see the picture more clearly. Perhaps not as clearly as we will see one day, but we do see Him.
And we can see that in His life and in His death, Jesus is the promised Redeemer. He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. He is all that we needed and more.
In John’s account of the crucifixion, he wants us to see especially how Jesus is the fulfillment of Scripture, in His Person and His Work.
Four times John states specific Scriptures being fulfilled:
v. 24: “This was to fulfill the Scripture” (casting lots for clothing)
v. 28: “knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
v. 36: “Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled” (no bones broken)
v. 37: “And, as another Scripture says…” (piercing of Jesus’s heart)
Many other things in this text also take us back to texts from the Old Testament - some direct statements or prophecies, types, and allusions, that find fulfilment in Christ, specifically in His death on the cross.
This will be the focus of our message today, and Lord willing, in the coming weeks we’ll dive deeper in some of the specific elements of the crucifixion story - because it is so central to our faith, I’m planning to spend the whole month of January in this section. For today, we’ll take an overview approach and look at many different ways that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures in His death.
We’ll work our way through the passage and examine some specific ways that the OT predicted the suffering of Christ.
In His Death, Jesus Fulfills the Scriptures
Carrying his own cross
v. 17: Carrying his own cross - Isaac carrying the wood; Gen 22:6.
17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together.
He went outside the city
v. 17: He went out(side the city): Heb. 13:11-12. Lev. 24:14.
17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.
11 Although the high priest brings the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.
Place of the Skull
v. 17: Place of the Skull - crushing the serpent’s head/destroying death? Gen. 3:15. Hebrews 2:14-15.
17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
14 Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
hands and feet pierced
v. 18: crucified (with hands and feet pierced): Psalm 22:16.
18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.
16 For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
numbered with the transgressors
v. 18: Crucified with 2 criminals - numbered with the transgressors; Isaiah 53:12.
18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.
12 Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus the King installed on Zion
v. 19: Jesus the King; Psalm 2:1-6. Acts 4:25-28.
19 Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
3 “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.
5 Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury:
6 “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’
27 In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
28 They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.
King of the Jews in 3 languages
v. 19-22: King of the Jews in 3 languages - Psalm 96:10.
19 Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ ”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
10 Declare among the nations: “The LORD reigns!” The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.
lots cast for His clothing
v. 23-24: They cast lots for my clothing; Psalm 22:18.
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the soldiers did.
18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
Honoring His Mother
v. 25-27: Taking care of His mother; Honor your father and mother; Gen. 47:12; Exodus 20:12.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”
27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.
12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
12 Joseph also provided his father and brothers and all his father’s household with food for their families.
Sour wine for His thirst
v. 28-30: I thirst/sour wine; Psalm 22:15; 69:21.
28 After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.
21 They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.
Finished
v. 30: It is finished; John 4:34; 13:1; 17:4.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
34 Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
4 I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do.
He yielded up his spirit
v. 30: He yielded up his spirit; John 10:17-18.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
17 The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
His body not left on the cross
v. 31: His body not left on the cross; Deut. 21:22-23. Gal. 3:13.
31 It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.
22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
23 you must not leave the body on the tree overnight, but you must be sure to bury him that day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
bones not broken
v. 31-33, 36: bones not broken; Ex 12:46; Num 9:12; Psalm 22:14; 34:20; 1 Cor. 5:7;
31 It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.
32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
36 Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.
20 He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.
46 It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.
12 they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes.
7 Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
blood and water
v. 34-35: blood and water; Ezekiel 36:25; Zech 13:1; Hebrews 9:14, 22; Heb 10:19-22. Ex 17:6; 1 Cor 10:4.
34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
35 The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
(blood as atoning, water as cleansing and purifying) - we’ll come back to this and consider more of the meaning in this verse.
1 “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”
pierced with a spear
v. 34, 37: Jesus pierced with a spear; Zech 12:10. Psalm 22:16-17. Rev. 1:7.
34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
37 And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”
16 For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
10 Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
Implications from this passage:
The OT is about Jesus - it all leads up to Him and points to Him and shows us Who He is and what He does and has promised to do. So read the OT with Jesus in mind!
Fulfillment of prophecy shows God’s sovereignty over history and the plan of salvation. These things could not possibly have happened by chance or simply by human will or action. God had to do this, and He did!
Spurgeon Quote about fulfillment of the OT in Christ: “My dear brethren and sisters, has it ever struck you with admiring wonder that Jesus Christ should answer to prophecies so complicated, and types so manifold,—should answer even with coincidences the most minute to them all? It would be almost impossible to count the types of Christ which are given in the Old Testament. It would, perhaps, be easy to count the prophecies, but very difficult for anybody to form a character in which all these should be blended and fulfilled. It has been said that, if you were to give all these types and all these prophecies to the wisest of men of all ages, and say to them, “You are requested to compile a biography of a man who shall answer to all these,” they must certainly give it up in despair. You can find men who will make a key to fit any lock; by diligence of labour, no matter how complicated the mechanism may be, the thing may at last be done. But I will defy all the wisdom that ever was in humanity to form a key that will fit the exceedingly complex wards of all the types of the Old Testament and all its prophecies. How palpable then the evidence is. Our Lord Jesus Christ answers to them all.”
Application:
Behold the Lamb of God, who came to take away our sins. Look at Him, trust Him, love Him.
If you’ve never received His gift of salvation, receive it today. If you turn from your sin and turn to Him, He will save you and He will satisfy you forever.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Worship Him, Praise Him, Give Thanks to Him for His great goodness.
6 For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
7 To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”