Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Pierced but not broken describes the body of Jesus while on the cross. Jesus’ body was not broken but a spear did enter His side and in doing so, proved He was dead. This was unexpected because people survived the crucifixion for days. The soldiers came to break His legs to stop His breathing but they found Him already dead. They did not take His life because He gave it. He gave up the spirit. He was not killed by a cross or by a sword or spear. He surrendered His life so that we might live.

Notice the first person use in this verse. “…when they look on me.” Not the ‘him’ we would expect. Jesus is telling Zechariah of His time on the cross and what it means. It wasn’t the spear in His side so much as the one in His heart. Rejected and despised. Beaten and shamed. Abandoned by His followers, denied by His people. They should have mourned Him. Indeed many did mourn Him. The spirit of grace and pleas for mercy came later, after the piercing. Look at Peter’s sermon in Acts 2. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” (verse 37)

Task for Today: Have you viewed the cross lately? Can you bring a visual scene into view? What is your reaction? Today is a day to mourn your sins, the ones that led Him to the cross. Today is a time to enjoy the spirit of grace you have received because of that cross. Today is the day to claim the mercy He gave you while on that cross. The piercing tells you what you need to know about Jesus dying for you.