Q&A Home > J > Our Lord Jesus Christ > His Body We say in the Divine Liturgy, "Take eat of it all of you, for this is my Body, which shall be broken for you and for many." But I thought that our Lord Jesus Christ's body was not broken, as it is said in Holy Gospel of St. John 19:36, "These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, 'None of his bones shall be broken.'" So is it talking about something else, or is there symbolism behind this? One can look at it from both literal and symbolic levels.
Medical scientists wrote many articles about the "Pathology of Crucifixion" explaining what happens to the human body during the process of Crucifixion and the possible causes of death from such cruel punishment. Many agree that one of the effects of hanging a person from his wrists is multiple dislocations at his major joints. This means that the body becomes disjointed or separated at the joints. This is probably what the Lord meant when He predicted that His body shall be broken. The prophecies give support to this explanation for David the prophet prophesies by the Holy Spirit concerning the Lord's passion saying, "And all My bones are out of joint" (Ps 22:14). Please notice that with these dislocations His bones were intact and not broken.
Looking at the word ‘broken’ at a symbolic level will give us only a small glimpse at how much lowliness and brokenness our Lord has gone through, psychologically, by becoming sin for us, He who knew no sin, to liberate us from sin.
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