Did the Israelites wonder why the Lord said not to break the bones of the Passover lamb? Why did the Lord not want the bones of the lamb intact, in addition to this being a type of the Messiah?
Was it simply showing that although both the lamb and the Messiah would suffer a violent death, yet, this signaled that it was not such a death that it broke His bones?
“They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it” (Numbers 9.12).
Both the Jews and the Romans beat Jesus mercilessly, including punching Him in the face, yet, in all their beatings they never managed to break one of His bones, showing that God knew how things would turn out about fifteen hundreds before they happened.
God controlled everything about Jesus,
Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken” (John 19.31–36).
Although allowing men to brutalize Him, they did not so do it as to break His bones, including skipping Him when it came time to hasten the crucifixion of all three men, because Jesus had already died, and the Roman soldiers did not need to break His legs.
- Sermon: Christ in Numbers (grantspasschurchofchrist.com)
- Sermon: Jesus Christ on Trial (grantspasschurchofchrist.com)
- Messianic Prophecy Number 24: Lev 16.27 – Outside the Camp (theoldtestamentandthenewtestament.com)
- Psalm 113 (fellowshiproom.org)