028 - WHY WATER AND BLOOD CAME OUT OF THE BODY OF JESUS?

WHY WATER  AND BLOOD CAME OUT OF THE BODY OF JESUS?

 

·        " When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe." (John 19.30-35).

 

Much discussion there is about what actually happened in this episode. There are those who try to explain scientifically, claiming that the soldier with the lance broke the pericardium (the outer membrane that surrounds the heart).

Firstly, the Bible does not say which side was pierced (and we cannot go beyond what is written - 1Cor 4.6). Second, the Bible is clear that the soldier pierced the side (not the front) of Jesus. Whereas the side is the rib and that none of the bones of Jesus was broken (John 19.36), there was no way the spear pierce the heart.

Therefore, the act of leaving blood of the dead body of Jesus was something supernatural. 

When someone is hurt, blood flows through the wound because it is being pumped by the heart. In the dead, with the heart stopped, there is no strength to force the blood through the openings of the vessels broken.

Furthermore, consider that Pilate had already returned to his palace after writing the plaque that was placed on the Cross. As there was no means of transport or communication advanced, spent some time to get the permission from Pilate to break the legs of the condemned (John 19.31), which gave time for the blood starts to clot (the blood coagulates in about an hour), making even more difficult the output of any blood.

All of this without counting that does not say that there went out a liquid looking (or similar) to water, but water itself , so this was the first miracle that Jesus did in his body after death, which teaches us that the miracles of Jesus were not restricted to only while He was alive in flesh and blood. These miracles are proof that Jesus continues to operate His wonders.

It isn’t in vain that the Evangelist wishes to emphasize that His witness is true (not invented - John 19.35).

One of the reasons for the miracle was for everyone to learn that we would not need to rely on testimony of second hand. It is good to remember that, with the death of John, the last apostle alive, there would be no one else alive that had been eye-witness of the life and death of Christ. In other words, each would have to settle for what had been written about Jesus and His apostles, a historical revelation and second hand.

However, when gushed water and blood alive, was clear that the testimony of Jesus would be available "live" for all those who believe on Him, as happened to the Galatians:

 

·        " O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" (Galatians 3.1).

 

The Testimony of men about Jesus is nothing compared to the testimony of own Eternal One about Him (John 5.34,35).

There is speculation about the reason for the soldier to pierce the side of Jesus. Many claim that was to check if Jesus was really dead or just pretending to not have their legs broken. However, even being moved by evil, the Eternal used this gesture of the soldier to end any doubt that there could be about true reality of Christ's death and resurrection (in order that no one had reason to affirm that Jesus was buried alive). 

Not to mention that, by doing this, the soldier was used to confirm the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah (Psalms 34.20).

But, after all, what means the water and the blood that came out of Jesus? To understand this, see what is said in 1John 5:

 

·        " This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1John 5.6-12).

 

Both in heaven and on earth, there is a witness room about who Jesus is.

In the heaven (it is good to remember that, in Christ, the faithful are seated in heavenly places - Eph 1.3; 2.6):

 

·        The Father,  through everything that He manifested to Israel in the Old Testament, is the reference for all to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (His express image - John 5.19,30; 7.16,17; 8.26,28,38,40; 14.10; Heb 1.3).

·        The word that the Creator has spoken and ministered in the lives of prophets and apostles testifies that Jesus' life is the confirmation of the entire project of the Eternal.

·        The Holy Spirit testifies internally in the hearts of the elected ones who is Jesus (John 10.2-5; 14.26; 16.13-15; Acts 5.32; Rom 2.14.15; 8.14,16; 1John 2.27), in addition to working in their hearts His fruit (Galatians 5.22) which confirms, through the communion, everything that Jesus is (John 13.34,35; 17.11,21-23).

 

On earth:

 

·        The Holy Spirit testified through the supernatural birth of Christ, expressing in His life signs and wonders (Mark 16.20; John 10.26; Hebrews 2.5), as well as a pure life (water) completely surrender to the Father out of love for His Church (blood).

The Holy Spirit was given by Christ to the faithful after His ascension (John 16.7), being He who makes everything that Jesus lived and did for us to become alive within those who believe.

·        The water testifies  of Christ's life. He lived, since the baptism until His death, in total purity and holiness of His word. It was from the baptism of Jesus that He began to be known to the world.  

The baptism represents our washing of regeneration and renewal promoted by the Holy Spirit (John 4.13.14; 7.37-39; Titus 3.4-6) through the word of the Eternal One (John 15.3; Eph 5.26).

The blood testifies of Christ's death: His surrender to the cleansing of our sins. It was from there that His real identity and mission came to be known. 

It also points to the martyrs who, seeing the excellence of Christ, consider everything as a loss (including the own life - Phil 3.7) to achieve greater resurrection (Heb 11.35).

 

These three are in complete agreement and testify that Jesus is God who became flesh (and not the man who became a god, as many think it should be). This teaches us that man, instead of trying to justify themselves, should accept the proposal of reconciliation offered by the Creator One (2Cor 5.18-20).