John 19:28–42

The Death of Jesus

19:29,30pp—Mt 27:48,50; Mk 15:36,37; Lk 23:36

²⁸Later, knowing that everything had now been finished,^l and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,^m Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar of wine vinegarⁿ was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”^o With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹Now it was the day of Preparation,^p and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses^q during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³²The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.^{r 33}But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced^s Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.^{t 35}The man who saw it^u has given testimony, and his testimony is true.^v He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:^w “Not one of his bones will be broken,”^{cx 37}and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”^dy

The Burial of Jesus

19:38–42pp—Mt 27:57–61; Mk 15:42–47; Lk 23:50–56

³⁸Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.^z With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹He was accompanied by Nicodemus,^a the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.^{e 40}Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.^b This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.^{c 41}At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation^d and since the tomb was nearby,^e they laid Jesus there.