19:31
The fastidiousness of the Jewish religious leaders comes to the fore again. It was the Roman custom to leave people on the cross until they died, and then to let the birds feast on the dead bodies. The Jewish religious leaders did not want the bodies there on the Sabbath. They would view this as going against the Law, and maybe they did not want there to be a visual reminder of Jesus hanging around. Breaking the legs of someone on a cross would make it impossible for them to haul themselves up, so they would suffocate.
19:32-34
The soldiers started with the two either side of Jesus. When they came to Jesus they found that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. However, one of the soldiers thrust a spear into Him and “blood and water” came out of Him. There are debates about the precise medical reason for this, with two main theories being advanced. Either way, this was evidence that Jesus was dead. There are also a number of ideas presented about the theological significance of the blood and water, these seem to me to be rather fanciful.
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