Briefing: For men and women in law enforcement, the more proof we have, the easier out job is. Proof and truth are two things we rely heavily on in the everyday duties we perform.

Dispatch (Assignment): Read John 19:28-37.

On the Street: Have you ever tried to convince someone of a truth? If you have, you know the common responses: Why? How do you know? What’s your proof? Show me.

I do not like arguing. If I tell someone a truth and they do not believe me I usually do not put much effort into convincing them. They will figure it out sooner or later. It is a good thing that Jesus does not have this attitude.

The first verse of this section states, “Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” (John 19:28 NIV). Jesus endured all of the suffering and pain so there would be no doubt He is, was, and will always be, Christ, Messiah, God’s only Son. He did not leave any room for the neigh sayers. We also read in John 19:36, “These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:” (NIV).

This verse goes on to give two examples of prophecies that were fulfilled. “Not one of His bones will be broken” and verse 37, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Psalm 34:20 (NIV) says, “He protects all His bones, not one of them will be broken.”

Psalm 22:16 (NIV), “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.”

There were over three hundred prophecies written about the coming of Messiah. The odds of one man fulfilling all 300 are astronomical. I looked up several studies on the mathematical odds of Jesus fulfilling just a few of the prophecies. The odds of one man fulfilling just eight were 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. The great thing about this is He did not just fulfill eight prophecies, He fulfilled ALL of them.

Isaiah 6:10 (NIV) says, “Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” John 1:11 (NIV) says, “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive him.”

Zechariah 9:9 (NIV), “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughters of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” We see in John 12:12-14 (NIV), “The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,”

Besides the two fulfilled prophecies from this section and the other two listed from John, I want you to see eight other, very specific prophecies that Jesus fulfilled:

1) Messiah would be born of a virgin – Isaiah 7:14, fulfilled in Matthew 1:23
2) He would be born in Bethlehem – Micah 5:2, fulfilled in Matthew 2:1
3) He would live in Nazareth – Isaiah 11:1, fulfilled in Matthew 2:21-23
4) He would die with criminals – Isaiah 53:9, fulfilled in Matthew 27:38
5) He would be buried with the rich – Isaiah 53:9, fulfilled in Matthew 27:57-60
6) Lots would be cast for His clothes – Psalm 22:18, fulfilled in Luke 23:24
7) He would be offered vinegar to drink – Psalm 69:21, fulfilled in Matthew 27:34
8) His dying words were recorded in Psalm 22, fulfilled in Luke 23:46

That is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Investigational Resources: Read all of Psalm 22 for the prophecy of Jesus’ death.

Officer Safety Principle: Proof is good but once you are convinced, you must learn to live by faith and trust in Jesus.

from The Gospel of John Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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