A lone puzzle piece means little by itself; however, as the puzzle comes together, it becomes more comprehensive and easier to assemble. So it is with the Bible.

The first occurrence of bone in the Bible is found in Genesis 2. The Lord causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep; He removes a bone from his side and forms Adam a helpmate—foreshadowing Christ, who would be pierced in his side to bring forth his bride.

The Gospel of John, combined with other scriptures, reveals the use of bones as symbols for those who are part of the Lord’s body. In John chapter 6, Jesus says,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he, shall live by me.” At this saying, many of his disciples were offended; eating blood was an abomination under the law.

Jesus was speaking of eating his flesh and his blood, and they did not understand what he meant. However, a body is made up of flesh, blood, and bones, and Jesus made no mention of bones. In Leviticus we find the following commandments prohibiting the eating of flesh and blood:

“And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you that eateth any manner of blood, I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, no soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.” – Leviticus 17:10-12

The commandment not to eat blood was made clear, and the penalty was most severe. Whoever ate flesh with the blood was cut off by the Lord. However, contrary to the commandment not to eat blood, Jesus declared to those who followed him, “Except you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Beginning with Adam, sin has worked through weakness of corrupted flesh. Only in death does sin in the flesh die. Jesus alone lived in the flesh without sin, holy in both body and spirit. He shed His blood in our place so that we can die to sin in the flesh and live for God. To eat the flesh of Christ is to live as he lived and to be crucified with him. “Man does not live by bread alone, but by eating every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

The life of the body lies in the flesh and blood alone, not the bones. Jesus made no mention of eating them. Bones do not possess life independently; they rely on the life provided by flesh and blood in the marrow. Without flesh and blood, bones are dry and lifeless. Nevertheless, as lifeless as dry bones are, they can live again as the Lord spoke unto Ezekiel, saying:

“Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.  Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 37:3-6. Ezekiel prophesied of the future resurrection of the nation of Israel, which serves as a picture of restoration in Christ by the Spirit.

By 136 AD, Julius Severus had ravaged Judea, destroying most of the Jewish population. The remainder were forced to flee or taken into captivity. The homeland of the Jewish people was effectively ended; it remained so for over 1800 years. Hebrew, as a colloquial language, became extinct.

But God promised through the prophets to resurrect Israel as a nation and bring the Jewish people again into the land given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By the late 19th century, Hebrew had been revived, becoming the only truly successful example of a dead tongue brought back as a national language. In 1948, Israel again became a nation—not as the two houses of Israel and Judah as before, but together as one people, as prophesied in Chapter 37 of Ezekiel.

As the prophets were a sign to Israel, so likewise, Israel is a sign to the nations—for “salvation is of the Jews.”

As the Lord brought the nation of Israel back from being a valley of dry bones, so also, those who are dead in their sins and trespasses are made alive by the flesh and blood of Christ, as written: and God “will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.”

The body is comprised of flesh, blood, and bones, but it is one body. Christ is the life of the body; he is the flesh and blood. Those who were formerly dry bones become alive in him. They have no life of their own, but when joined together with the flesh and blood of Christ, they live like those resurrected in the Valley of Dry Bones.

Together, the flesh, blood, and bones complete the body of Christ, and the Lord provides the Spirit. As Adam took Eve—a bone from his side—as his wife, likewise, Christ chooses bones to be his bride in marriage. Together they are one flesh, “for two, saith the Lord, become one flesh.”

David, prophesying of the Messiah, said, “He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken,” and again, “I can count all My bones.’ (Psalm 22:17)

Not one bone of Jesus was broken during the crucifixion, and when praying to the Father before his death, he prayed,

“Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition.”

Foreshadowed by the Passover lamb—it was commanded that not one bone was to be broken—those in his body shall not be broken; he will lose none.

We are to partake in the flesh and blood of Christ. Those who reject Christ are drinking their blood and eating their flesh. They are in bondage to their flesh. Solomon said, “The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.” – Ecclesiastes 4:5. Believers eat the flesh of Christ and drink of his cup.

Many of Jesus’  disciples were offended when he said, “You must eat my flesh and drink my blood. John 6:66 states, “From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.”

Adam’s side was opened, and the Lord brought out a wife for him. Likewise, Christ’s side was opened on the cross, and the water and blood of salvation came forth. One might wonder if the bone taken from Adam and the place where Jesus was pierced in his side were in the same place, nearest to the heart.