Daily Bread

The Death of Jesus^(A)

²⁸ Later, knowing that everything had now been finished,^(B) and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,^(C) Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar^(D) was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”^(E) With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹ Now it was the day of Preparation,^(F) and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses^(G) during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³² The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.^{(H) 33} But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced^(I) Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.^{(J) 35} The man who saw it^(K) has given testimony, and his testimony is true.^(L) He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:^(M) “Not one of his bones will be broken,”^{[a](N) 37} and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”^[b](O)