Lent Devotional

My name is Gary Brandenburg, and I have been part of Fellowship since the fall of 2004. I moved to Dallas from Tyler, Texas, with my wife, Jana, and my mother-in-law, Veta Frazier, who graduated from this life to the next in 2011. I had the privilege of serving as Lead Pastor until 2018 and continue to serve on the teaching team today.

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The Significance of What Didn’t Happen

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John 19 is a sobering chapter that chronicles the brutality Jesus endured leading up to His death. As I have pored over this text, I’ve been impacted not just by what the soldiers did to Jesus, but by what they didn’t do: they didn't break His legs.

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My former seminary professor, D. A. Carson, observes:

"The normal Roman practice was to leave crucified men and women on the cross until they died—and this could take days—and then leave their rotting bodies hanging there to be devoured by vultures. If there were some reason to hasten their deaths, the soldiers would smash the legs of the victim with an iron mallet (a practice called, in Latin, crurifragium). Quite apart from the shock and additional loss of blood, this step prevented the victim from pushing with his legs to keep his chest cavity open. Strength in the arms was soon insufficient, and asphyxia followed." (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 622)

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A Divine Interruption

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The Bible reports that when the soldiers reached Jesus, "they did not break His legs." Why? The practical reason is stated clearly in the text: "Coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs." Instead, they pierced His side to confirm His death. When the spear pierced the pericardial sac surrounding the heart, blood and water flowed out—a medical tell-tale sign of death from severe physical trauma.

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However, there is a deeper, sovereign reason they didn't break His legs: God prevented it. The death of Jesus was the meticulous fulfillment of prophecy. As verses 36–37 note, "For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, 'Not a bone of Him shall be broken.' And again another Scripture says, 'They shall look on Him whom they pierced.'" This is a powerful reminder that while we experience the trauma of a fallen world, God is working behind the scenes, directing the events of our lives for our ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

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Certainty in an Uncertain World

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I once read that the problem with life is that it is so daily. While that is true, another problem is that it is filled with uncertainty. We ask ourselves:

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· "Will the war in the Middle East ever end?"

· "Will my cancer return?"

· "Will the Dallas Cowboys ever get back to the Super Bowl?"

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While we live with uncertainty, God does not. He has a plan, and nothing can thwart it. Take hold of one of God’s promises today and rest in the certainty that, no matter what comes your way, His plan will prevail.