The Source of the Story that the Soldiers did not Break Jesus' Legs but one of them pierced his side with a Spear

Chapter III

The Sources of the Gospels and the Way of Writing Them

Section IV

The Texts that were attributed directly to the Old Testament in the Gospels

In this section we will examine the texts of the Old Testament that were attributed directly to it, and the Gospels authors said that they have not been fulfilled, and achieved only in Jesus and his time and his generation, to find out what is the truth and the reality of them, and if the Gospels authors have told the truth or not.

17 - The Source of the Story that says that the Soldiers did not Break Jesus' Legs but one of them pierced his Side with a Spear

John 19:31 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.

John 19:32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.

John 19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

John 19:35 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.

John 19:36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."

John 19:37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."

In these paragraphs John mentions why the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs, and quoted two texts from the Old Testament, saying, for this the story has occurred that these texts should be fulfilled, and then says "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".

Here if John wants us to believe him that this story has occurred to fulfill those texts, and not writing this story based upon them, as is the way or the method or the approach of writing the Gospels, he shall answer the following questions:

The first is why he did not mention Jesus' ascension into heaven in his Gospel, or it was not happened to fulfill the Scripture?!

The second is how the blood and the water came out separate of each other, and if we agree with him on this point, how there will be any water in Jesus' body after staying a few hours on the cross, while John himself had written that Jesus said "I am thirsty" (John 19:28)?!

The third is why the other Gospels authors did not mention this story if it had already happened?

Despite these questions and doubts about this story, we should examine the texts of the Old Testament to find out if they were prophesying about Jesus as John says, or he has used them according to the way or the method or the approach of writing the Gospels to bestow a state of holiness, credibility and reliability on his Gospel. the first text is mentioned in Psalm 34, and the second in the book of Zechariah chapter 12, which are as follows:

Psalm 34:1 (A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.) I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 34:2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 

Psalm 34:3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.

As we read that this Psalm is a Psalm of David, when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed, then David begins blessing and praising the Lord, and says that his soul shall make its boast in the LORD; magnify the LORD with him, and let us exalt His name together, then continues his words, saying:

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

This paragraph shows that the Lord has heard David, and rescued him from all his fears, and this is what happened really with David, as is well-known, while if we suppose that the text speaks of Jesus, and has not been fulfilled but in the time of Jesus, as John tried to convince the good people of followers of the churches, this means that this saying is not true, because the God has not heard Jesus, and did not save him from all his fears, forcing him when he was on the cross to cry out with a loud voice, my God why have you forsaken me, as in the following texts:

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

So if the God had forsaken Jesus, it implies that this Psalm certainly was not prophesying about Jesus.

Psalm 34:5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.

Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

These paragraphs also say that this poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, while the Gospels said that Jesus stayed the whole night pray not to be crucified, but the Lord did not hear him. So if this Psalm was talking about him; his end should not be as it is written in the Gospels!

As for the paragraph that the angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them, it confirms that the Psalm does not talk about Jesus, because despite Luke wrote about the angel who appeared to Jesus strengthens him, as in the following text:

Luke 22:43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

Yet this angel has not delivered Jesus, forcing him on the cross to cry out with a loud voice "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me", (Matthew 27:46) and (Mark 15:34).

Psalm 34:9 Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

Psalm 34:10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Psalm 34:11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Psalm 34:12 Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?

Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.

Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.

Psalm 34:16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

These paragraphs talk about the children of David and how that the Lord will deliver them out of all their troubles, and this was not the case with Jesus' disciples, as the churches say, while the sons of David, who said this Psalm, lived safely of all their troubles, and they were living as sons of kings, indeed they were kings and the sons of kings.

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Psalm 34:20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

The last paragraph is quoted by John. And I wonder if it was talking about Jesus why the LORD did not deliver him out of all the afflictions, and where he had read in this Psalm or even in other books of the Old Testament anything about the death of the God or to be crucified, or about a true son of God or the Trinity, while the whole Psalm was talking about the righteous man?

Is there any reference directly or indirectly indicates to the crucifixion or stabbing Jesus' side?

And the rest of the Psalm says that the LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned, and this was not the case with Jesus!

Psalm 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

Psalm 34:22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

The second text, which was quoted by John is in the book of Zechariah, which is as follows:

Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:

Zechariah 12:2 "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:3 "And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Zechariah 12:4 "In that day," says the LORD, "I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

Zechariah 12:5 "And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God’.

Zechariah 12:6 "In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place — Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:7 "The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.

As we notice that this chapter is a burden of the word of the LORD against Israel, which begins by talking about Jerusalem, and that the Lord will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem, and in that day He will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it, "In that day" says the LORD "I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.", "In that day, Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place", etc.

And all these things concerning Jerusalem, undoubtedly, do not indicate to the time of Jesus, because Jerusalem at that time was under Roman occupation and there are no wars between Jerusalem and peoples around, but they all were under the Roman Rule, and Jesus himself was paying taxes to them and ordering his disciples to pay taxes by saying "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's", (Matthew 22:21) and (Mark 12:17), and this indicates that the text was not talking about Jesus.

Zechariah 12:8 "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.

This paragraph says that in that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this was not the case of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' crucifixion, because nearly forty years later it will be destroyed by the Romans.

Zechariah 12:9 "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

In this paragraph the LORD says "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.", and this did not happen in Jesus' time!

Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Hebrew Version

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto Me because they have thrust him through; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.

Septuagint Version

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and compassion: and they shall look upon me, because they have mocked me, and they shall make lamentation for him, as for a beloved friend, and they shall grieve intensely, as for a firstborn son.

In this paragraph says the Lord that in that day He will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace, and supplication; then they will look on me whom they pierced, and the last paragraph is cited by John.

The first thing we notice here is that John has distorted the text of Zechariah, because John says "They shall look on Him whom they pierced", while Zechariah says " they will look on Me whom they pierced", which means on the Lord, who will seek to destroy all the nations that came against Jerusalem, and will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication!

The second note is that the text of Zechariah does not talk about the crucifixion of whom they pierced, but about the Jerusalem during the attempts of the peoples to destroy it, and that the LORD will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem, and this did not happen in Jesus' time.

Zechariah 12:11 "In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

Zechariah 12:12 "And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;

Zechariah 12:13 "the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;

Zechariah 12:14 "all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

These paragraphs talk about what will be happening on that day by saying "In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo", etc., and this did not take place in the day of Jesus' crucifixion, as is written in the four Gospels, which indicates that the text was not talking about Jesus.

From this careful reading of the Psalm and the text of Zechariah, we find that these texts were not talking about Jesus' life, and John had distorted Zechariah's text, and all this shows that he has used them to bestow a state of holiness, credibility and reliability on his Gospel, away from the reality and away from the true meaning of those texts, as is the way or the method or approach of writing the Gospels, which indicates that the law "do not accept the lying and false" applies to the John's story.