"Come and See": A Web Commentary on the Gospel of John: Section 13 The Passion, Death, and Burial of Jesus (Jn 18.1-19.42)

Sec 13.6 Jesus' Death: Aftermath and Burial (Jn 19.31-42)

³¹Then 'the authorities' -- since it was the Day of Preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a solemn day) -- asked Pilate to have the soldiers break the legs of the condemned men¹ and take them away. ³²So the soldiers came and they broke the legs first of the one and then of the other man who was crucified along with him. ³³But when they came to Jesus, since they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, ³⁴but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance and blood and water came out straightway. ³⁵And the one who saw it has borne witness, and his witness is true and that one knows that he is speaking the truth so that you might have trust in the Lord². ³⁶For these things happened so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 'Not a bone of his will be broken'³. ³⁷And again another scripture says, 'They will look upon the one that they pierced'⁴.

³⁸After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus secretly for fear of 'the authorities', asked Pilate if he might take Jesus' body and Pilate permitted it. So he came and took Jesus'⁵ body. ³⁹Then Nicodemos -- the one who had first come to Jesus⁶ at night -- also came bringing about 100 pounds of a compound of myrrh and aloes.⁴⁰They took Jesus's body and bound it in linen cloths with spices as is the Jewish custom for preparation for burial. ⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden and in the garden, a new tomb in which no-one had yet been laid. ⁴²So they laid Jesus there on account of the Jewish Day of Preparation, since the tomb was nearby.

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