John 19:32

John 19:32 says, Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs, of the first, and of the other that were crucified with Him.  As we know from scripture, one of the thieves was penitent and one was not, but both endured the same agony of having their legs broken.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, that does not exempt us from the consequences of our sins here on earth, but from the consequences in our relationship to God.  The one thief was forgiven and restored to God spiritually, but he still died just as painful of a death as the unrepentant thief.  We cannot expect to accept Jesus as our Savior and suddenly have all consequences of our sins removed in the world. For example, if a person is in prison when they accept Christ as Savior, they are not going to be immediately freed.  Verse thirty-three adds, But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs.  The Scripture said Jesus gave up the ghost, so we should not be surprised that He was physically dead. They did not take His life, but He freely gave it.  We should be just as willing to freely give up this physical life for God.  As with Jesus, it is the spiritual, everlasting life that matters.  Verse thirty-four continues, But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  They wanted to make sure Jesus was dead and not just pretending, so they pierced His side with a spear.  The blood and water are significant.  Blood brings atonement and water purification, and through Christ we have both. The atonement is forever, but the purification is continual.  Even after accepting Christ as our Savior, we must continue to purify our lives daily.  Verse thirty-five says, And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.  This was not something John had heard, but something he witnessed firsthand.  When it comes to our relationship to Christ, it must be something we experience firsthand.  Until we accept the truth of God personally, we cannot be saved.  Verses thirty-six adds, For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken.  Verse thirty-seven continues, And again

another scripture saith, They shall look on Him Who they have pierced.  Once more, we can be sure that the Roman soldiers were not doing these things to fulfill the scripture, but that the scripture was fulfilled by their doing these things.  They had no significance to to the soldiers but did to one familiar with the scripture.