By Stuart Powell
In the latter years of the apostle John’s life, he wrote down his memories of Jesus’ ministry. More than half of his Gospel describes the week leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross. Chapter 19 contains John’s inspired memory of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Could it be that every time he told that story over the decades God helped him see more and more of the bigger plan displayed on that cross? It is interesting what stood out to John as he sorted through all the images of the day of his rabbi’s last breath.
As John wrote down those memories he included this phrase: “And again another scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced’” (John 19:37, New English Translation). John doesn’t tell us his own emotions as he watched the spear puncture Jesus’ abdomen. Instead, he calls his readers to reflect on a promise that was already centuries old in his day. God wants his children to consider: What do you feel as you look upon the one they pierced?
That promise came from a message God shared with the Old Testament prophet Zechariah. God spoke of what he would accomplish through the son of David at a future day. It was a promise inserted in his message of condemnation to the broken kingdom of Judah. Look at Zechariah 12:10:“I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.” God used John’s memory to connect Zechariah’s promise of grace to Jesus’ crucifixion. This makes it clear that the promise wasn’t exclusively for the people of Zechariah’s day. It was preserved for us as well.
What is the message we need to hear about the one who was pierced? Jesus’ sacrificial death was an event of joy along with a time of grief. This time when God’s people gather to partake of Communion should follow that pattern. It is a celebration of thanks for the freedom that Jesus’ death purchased for us. However, shouldn’t tears play an equal part with the joy? Certainly his sacrifice was filled with sorrow, a sorrow we rightly remember during Communion. When we partake of the loaf and cup we are participating, through John’s memory, in Jesus’ sacrifice. We need to hear the gasps, see the tears, smell death lurking nearby. As we eat and drink, let’s remember what Jesus faced as he bore our sins. Our mourning is just as important as our thanksgiving.
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
Author: Christian Standard
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