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. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
Verses 35-37 present the eyewitness that verified what is said in these verses as true.
19:35
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true;
The one who saw was also the one who gave authentic testimony because he was an eyewitness. Those skeptical about Jesus’ death and resurrection have to overcome eyewitness testimony. Jesus did not faint as skeptics assert.
The eyewitness was probably John himself (Jn 21:24). He personally witnessed the events on which he reported.
and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
John knew by personal observation that he told the truth. People reading the gospel of God can know for sure that the record that they are reading is true (Jn 20:30-31).
19:36
For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled,
The events of verses 31-33 took place to fulfill two passages of Scripture in verses 36 and 37.
John gives a summary from Scripture about the death of Christ. These allusions from the Old Testament show how Jesus fulfilled extant scriptural statements. There were two Scriptures that were fulfilled: (1) none of His bones would be broken and (2) He would be pierced.
“Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
Exodus 12:46 says that the sacrifice for sins was not to have its legs broken. Jesus was the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29, 36).
19:37
And again another Scripture says,
John quoted another Scripture from Zechariah 12:10.
“They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
This is a quotation from the Hebrew and not the Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint). The normal mode of execution by the Jews was stoning, not stabbing with a spear. The idea that Jesus was pierced on the cross would have been unique at the writing of Zechariah.
PRINCIPLE:
Scripture verifies its claims by eyewitnesses.
APPLICATION:
Testimony is important to a claim of truth. We can count on John’s eyewitness of the fulfillment of Scripture.
