Yeshua became a curse for our sakes. Not that he is accursed for nobody says Yeshua is accursed by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 12:3). This might be a certain Jewish perspective but is not that of a true Christian. Passover lambs could not have their bones broken, especially the legs. The innards and legs of burnt offerings and passover offerings are washed with water as was Christ. I will try to tie together the Passover lamb with burnt offerings and legs being unbroken and washing by blood and water but this could end up being a multi-week study.
— Curses from the Law
Gal. 3:13-14:: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Gal. 3:10:: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”[Deut. 27:26]
‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm (to arise) all the words of this law by observing them (Deut. 27:26)
If you look at Deuteronomy 27 you find out six tribes stood on Mount Gerizem to bless the people and six tribes on Mount Ebel to curse the people. Then we get to chapter 28 which speaks of cursing the people for not observing the commandments and statutes:
Deut. 28:15:: it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you
What is key in this verse is to carefully observe all of His commandments and His statutes. So are we cursed if we ignore his commandments and statutes or even just casually overve them?
šāmar (shaw-mar’) means to keep, guard, or preserve so it could be translated as observe carefully.
Now Christians would counter this and say ‘we have been redeemed from the curse of the law for Christ has redeemed us from it’s curses’ because Christ has become a curse for us upon the cross.
Deut. 21:22-23:: If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, but his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.
My only caveat here is that Yeshua did not commit a sin deserving of death. We did, that is he was crucified for the sins of the whole world. By taking on the likeness of sinful flesh he condemned sin in the flesh:
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3-4)
It is in essence a curse against the curse. So great was the weight of sin upon the body of Yeshua that the father could no longer look upon him. There was darkness upon the land for the space of three hours (Matt. 27:45).
— Breaking of the legs (significance)
Part of the scripture about hanging upon the tree requires a body to not remain upon a tree all night long. Keeping a body up all night long would defile the land. Of course, many bodies of roman crucifixions did remain upon crosses all night long.
However, leaving bodies up all night long was not good during a high sabbath. This is why they came by to break his legs so that they might suffocate and die quicker.
John 19:31-37:: Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs [Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20].
Let me digress for a bit and review what the Torah says about breaking the bones of the passover lamb:
In regards to the passover lamb the instructions say: in one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. (Ex. 12:46)
They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones (Num. 9:12)
He (the LORD) guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. (Ps. 34:20). This is a Psalm about the afflictions of the righteous written by King David while fleeing Saul.
So what about eating the Passover in one house? What about not carrying the flesh outside of the house but finishing it that night?
Many godly people have long debated the exact timing of Yeshua’s death during holy week. We also do not know the exact timing of the consummation of his body (a burnt offering); it could have been that night (Passover night). This is in accordance with Exodus 12:10 which requires the passover lamb’s body to be burned with fire by morning if not completely eaten by daybreak.
Since Yeshua died for the whole nation his passover body was not consumed in a particular house nor at the temple. Yeshua did eat a seder meal with his disciples at what has become known as The Last Supper. We do have a recording of the temple curtain being torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51a). Perhaps that is not only reflective of opening up access to the holy of holies for Christians but also his flesh being eaten (figuratively) at the house of the LORD.
— Christ in Hades
Some people flippantly say ‘go to hell’. This is a terrible saying, even a curse. But did you know our savior Yeshua actually went to hell! Not exactly the flaming inferno that some picture like Dantes’ Inferno or the lake of fire. It is Hades or Sheol which actually means the abode of the dead.
Yet Peter says he preached to the spirits in hades (1 Pet. 3:19) and traditionally that during the three days before his resurrection early on Sunday. That Sunday is also called the Feast of First Fruits.
All we really know is that they saw the risen Yeshua early Sunday morning. Continuing in the gospel of John I want to give reference to the epistle of John.
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out [John 19:34-35]
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”[Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:2]
And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”[Zech. 12:10]
1 John 5:6-8:: This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness on earth:the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
Today we eat his flesh and drink his blood symbolically during communion. We also get cleansed through the dedication of our lives given during baptism. I think the washing of the feet and legs of the disciplies that Yeshua did during the last supper was also prophetic in the idea that washing the legs of the burnt offerings was a Torah requirement and as with the leftover passover lamb ultimately also got burnt up.
— Tieing It Together
So what do curses, broken bones, blood and water have in common?
My belief is that while Yeshua was made a curse for us upon the cross he could not have his legs broken as the passover lamb. He got cleansed by the water and the blood. The blood provides atonement, his own blood. The water cleansing like what we do during a baptism, a purification of the heart. In the case of Yeshua his insides (entrails) and his legs required cleansing by water which poured out of his side after being pierced by the roman soldier.
The remains of his body became a burnt offering:
Lev. 1:8-9:: ‘Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
The burnt offering (olah) was driven by an individual’s free will to express devotion, total surrender, and thanksgiving to God. It was the will of the Father to crucify Yeshua but in the end Yeshua gave his will over to that of the Father.
Fellowship offering that permits eating of the sacrifice for up to three days before being burnt up:
Leviticus 7:15-16:: The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning. If, however, their offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up.
But normally, the fellowship or peace offering is also to be eaten on the same day it is offered, just like the passover lamb. It could last an additional day if only a vow or freewill offering: not if it was offered by a miraculous event such as resurrection from the dead. For the Lord Yeshua is our peace.