Context – After Zechariah’s declaration of the Good Shepherd to come, he foretells of Jerusalem’s resurgence and offers up a gruesome picture of what will happen to the messiah. In Psalm 34, king David sings about God’s goodness, provision, and deliverance for himself and the messiah to come:

Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 34:19-20 – And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son… Ps 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

Context – Jesus has willingly accepted crucifixion and graciously endured the wrath of God for all humanity’s sins:

John 19:31,33-37 – Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down… 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Context – In Corinthians, Paul calls the church to put away immorality and be transformed into the image of Christ. In Revelation, before John relays his vision, he opens the book with worship for the Everlasting One who was pierced:

1 Corinthians 5:7b-8, Revelation 1:5b-8 – For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth… Rev. 1:5b Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

• The passover lamb’s bones were not to be broken.
• Exodus 12:43a,46 – The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal… 46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.”

• How do we know for sure that Jesus was dead (and therefore actually resurrected)?
• What does it mean that Jesus was the “firstborn”?
• How are Jesus and Passover connected?