John chapter 19

vs 31

Lovely. I could go into all the stuff about how, if your legs are broken when you're on cross, you suffocate because your lungs collapse. Instead, just read this sentence and tell me that the Jews weren't complete pricks. Instead of leaving me nailed to a cross, you want to nail me to a cross, then break my legs, then watch me suffocate faster? Anus. I don't know, perhaps you think it's kind, instead of leaving them there. I guess my opinion is that it's kinder not to crucify people at all.

vs 32

And the soldiers did so. The enormity didn't really come to me about this until I realised just what would be involved in actually breaking someone's legs.

vs 33-34

But they don't break Jesus' legs. Instead, they stab him with a spear, just to make sure. And apparently, blood and water came out, and this is meant to be a mark that they stabbed him somewhere that is going to be fatal. I'll let doctors talk about that. In my opinion, if a centurion stabs you, you're dead. They're not council workers, they're trained killers.

vs 35

Is the man who saw John? Or is it someone else who has told John, perhaps one of the centurions? Regardless, he was an eyewitness, and the veracity john seeks to give this claim may mean that he is attempting to combat a belief that Jesus didn't die. So here it is, Muslims! Here it is, JWs, or Mormons, or whoever of you heretics wants to tangle with it.

vs 36-37

Another scripture fulfilled, and another. Interestingly, unlike Matthew, John doesn't point out scriptural fulfilments all the way through, only at the important bit, which is apparently now. This may be to help people realise that the death of the Messiah was prophesied, and that it is not something which discounts Jesus' claims.

vs 38

I'm sure if Joseph took the body, and Jesus was still alive, he wouldn't have dumped him in a tomb over the weekend. You might hide him in your basement and nurse him back to heath, but not in a tomb. Again, I think we highly underestimate the ability of ancient peoples to know when someone's dead.

Interestingly, it is a secret follower of Jesus who has the guts to come and take his body, and give him a good burial. I don't think Joseph of Arimathea gets enough praise. Where were the disciples?

vs 39

Nicodemus was also there - unmentioned in any other gospel. Nic may well have been another secret disciple. If so, again my props go out to him. I don't actually know what that means, but if it's good, he deserves them.

vs 40

Remember, this is the day of preparation before the Sabbath (an important sabbath too), and by touching Jesus' dead body, they are defiling themselves. But they still do it.

vs 41-42

I wonder if either of them actually owned that tomb? I also wonder if tomb larceny was common. Anyway, along with testimonies to two unsung heroes of Christianity, we can also be assured that Jesus is quite dead, and also buried. Well, entombed. It might not be his tomb, but it's a tomb.