An Eyewitness Testimony - John 19:31-37

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, John 19:31-37. In this passage of Scripture, the Apostle John describes certain details about Jesus' death on the cross between the time of His death and His burial. In so doing, he describes how the prophecies of King David and Zechariah made centuries before were fulfilled. He records his eyewitness testimony that we might believe. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember our Jesus, and what He gave for us. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save! 

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "An Eyewitness Testimony." I read from John 19:31-37 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses 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. 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 Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. 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: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

There were many who witnessed the death of Jesus that day. Even if they were not present near the cross, they would recall the three hours of darkness from 12:00-3:00 PM (Matthew 27:45) and the earthquake (Matthew 27:54). Those near graveyards had an additional shock of seeing the dead come to life (Matthew 27:52-53)! Certain details of Jesus' crucifixion were revealed by the Holy Spirit to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, authors of the gospels, but John records an eyewitness account. In his gospel, he does not refer to himself by name, but it was "the disciple whom He loved" who was present at the cross with His mother, Mary. John must have lingered at the cross after Jesus' death as it was he who tells us that none of Jesus' bones were broken, like the legs of the men to His left and right, and that one of the Roman soldiers pierced His side with a spear. It was with this confidence that he could interpret the prophecies of King David (Psalms 34:20) and Zechariah (Zechariah 12:10), who saw these events centuries before they happened. Not only does John provide an eyewitness account, but his written record survives to this day! John writes (John 19:35), "The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe." John records these events because he wants you to know that Jesus is the Son of God so that you might be saved by believing in Him. From John's account, I was so relieved to learn that Jesus had already died before the soldiers came to break His legs. After all that He had been through, this would have been just too much for Him to bear. Jesus suffered and died a cruel death for us that we might have the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember what He gave for us. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. I am so grateful for the testimony of John. I have no doubt he relived these vivid moments in time from the cross throughout his lifetime. I am also grateful that You revealed them to King David and Zechariah so we were prepared in advance about what would happen to Your Son, Jesus. He suffered so much for us, and we are grateful. We are grateful that You asked Him to come in the first place, and that He was willing to go through with Your plan. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Your Son, our Lord and Savior. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!