But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
Jesus was already dead when a soldier pierced His side with a spear, so His legs were left unbroken while the living thieves had theirs broken, and blood and water flowed out at once in two copious, distinct streams, which was witnessed and recorded so that readers might believe. The wound proves He truly died in a real body of flesh and bone, refuting claims that He only fainted or only seemed to have a body, and this certainty about His death makes certain His resurrection, fulfilling Scripture that not a bone of Him would be broken and that He would be pierced as the complete Passover Lamb of God. The blood washes away the guilt of sin for those who believe and the water is the living water from Him that gives life, together a double cure saving from both the guilt of sin and its power as the channel through which mercy and reconciliation flow to the world. The spear mark with the nail marks remains forever on His glorified body as part of His beauty and power to save, and those who pierced Him and shared in His rejection will see it when He comes in glory as King and will mourn with terror and remorse. Keeping close to His bleeding, pierced side means living in close connection with Him, relying on Him, humbly praying and putting away pride and strife, for He is the Majesty of heaven and Source of strength whose Spirit impresses the heart, overcomes corruption, and brings blessing into life and home.
The Death and Piercing
Jesus was already dead when His side was pierced, so His legs were left unbroken and untouched, while the two thieves were still living and their legs were broken. One soldier drove a spear into His side, and blood and water came out at once from the deep wound in two copious, distinct streams flowing separately. The piercing and its flow were directly seen by an eyewitness, and the true record was written so that readers might believe.
That wound and flow establish that He truly died in a real body of flesh and bone. They refute the claims that He only fainted and afterward revived, or that His body was only an appearance and not real. The unmistakable evidence that He had truly died makes certain the truth of His resurrection. The centurion who commanded the soldiers at the cross also reported His death to Pilate and recounted the events at Calvary, corroborating the account given by Joseph.
He died suddenly from a supernatural cause, which was a great mystery to the people who saw it. The cause was His heart broken by mental agony, and blood and water flowed from His side after that death. These things were done so that Scripture would be fulfilled that not a bone of Him would be broken and that He would be pierced. His unbroken body fulfills the Passover rule that no bone of the sacrificial lamb be broken, presenting Him as the complete offering of the Lamb of God.
The verse belongs to the crucifixion scene where Jesus hangs on the cross with a crowd gathered beneath Him reacting with grief and terror.
What Blood and Water Mean
When the side was pierced, blood and clear water came out together in two distinct streams. The blood washes away the sins of those who believe in His name. The water is the living water received from Him that gives life to the believer.
Together the blood and water are a double cure for sin, saving at once from its guilt and from its power. The stream of blood from the riven side reconciled humanity to God through the sacrifice of redemption. The pierced side is the channel, opened at infinite cost through the suffering of the beloved Son, through which God's mercy flows to the world. It is the bleeding side from which salvation flows.
His wounded side with His wounded hands and feet pleads for fallen humanity. They testify to the infinite cost of redemption and to the enduring efficacy of His atoning sacrifice. His sacred blood is pleaded on the sinner's behalf, and His merits as the slain Lamb are accepted by God as a purifier from sin, just as sacrificial blood cleansed Israel from guilt.
The suffering and piercing show the value of a soul, for He risked all and would have laid down His life for even one sinner. His wounded body and death were self-sacrifice to save fallen people and bring them to God. His suffering and precious blood purchased people for God, including children, while Satan was raging against God and His Son. The pierced side, together with His incarnation, His sweat-drops of blood, and the marks of the nails in His hands and feet, shows His unmeasured love and the great sacrifice made in behalf of the lost.
The Wound Remains and Calls
The spear mark remains forever on the glorified body together with the nail marks in the hands and feet, and there it belongs to glory and honor and beauty. The wounds of Calvary declare power to save because He gave Himself to redeem humanity, and for that same reason they declare power to execute justice upon those who reject mercy. They will praise Him and declare His power throughout eternity.
Those who thrust the spear into His side will see that mark upon His glorified body and recognize Him as the very one they crucified and mocked. The soldier who pierced Him will see it with terror and remorse when Christ appears in glory, and those who took part in the cruelty will see the marks of their cruelty and mourn their part in His death. This meeting takes place when He appears in glory as King in the clouds of heaven, at the second resurrection and after the wicked dead are raised at the close of the thousand years. At that day of coming as judgment, those who were favored with great light but rejected it, who might have been saved had they obeyed but refused to obey, will fully understand the great sacrifice made for the lost with its unmeasured love shown in incarnation, sweat-drops of blood, pierced side, and nail marks, and will ask to be hidden from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Keeping close to His bleeding, pierced side is living in close connection with Jesus by drawing near to Him and His sacrifice. It is relying on Him as a defense and pressing close in reliance upon Christ. It is living humbly and wholly for God, with prayer and the subduing of pride and selfishness. It is receiving His love as a living influence that flows from the soul to others in tenderness and compassion, the drawing near of the troubled believer, and the place where strife and contention are brought to an end.
The One thus wounded in the side is the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, and the Source of power and strength and efficiency. Abiding close to His bleeding side lets the Holy Spirit impress the heart and leads to working in His lines, keeping believers from drawing apart and giving one mind and one judgment. That closeness joins believers to Him so they become partakers of the divine nature with power to overcome the corruption in the world through lust, and it brings God's blessing to rest upon His people. Coming close to the suffering Man of Calvary brings nearness to God so that His Spirit abides in the home, making it pleasant and cheerful, a little heaven on earth and the most attractive place on earth to children, with all the blessings of the household. Since His shed blood purchased people to be strengthened and blessed and helped and not condemned and destroyed, those who are partakers with Him in His sufferings will at last be partakers with Him in His glory.
Jesus was already dead when a soldier pierced His side with a spear, so His legs were left unbroken while the living thieves had theirs broken, and blood and water flowed out at once in two copious, distinct streams, which was witnessed and recorded so that readers might believe. The wound proves He truly died in a real body of flesh and bone, refuting claims that He only fainted or only seemed to have a body, and this certainty about His death makes certain His resurrection, fulfilling Scripture that not a bone of Him would be broken and that He would be pierced as the complete Passover Lamb of God. The blood washes away the guilt of sin for those who believe and the water is the living water from Him that gives life, together a double cure saving from both the guilt of sin and its power as the channel through which mercy and reconciliation flow to the world. The spear mark with the nail marks remains forever on His glorified body as part of His beauty and power to save, and those who pierced Him and shared in His rejection will see it when He comes in glory as King and will mourn with terror and remorse. Keeping close to His bleeding, pierced side means living in close connection with Him, relying on Him, humbly praying and putting away pride and strife, for He is the Majesty of heaven and Source of strength whose Spirit impresses the heart, overcomes corruption, and brings blessing into life and home.
The Death and Piercing
Jesus was already dead when His side was pierced, so His legs were left unbroken and untouched, while the two thieves were still living and their legs were broken. One soldier drove a spear into His side, and blood and water came out at once from the deep wound in two copious, distinct streams flowing separately. The piercing and its flow were directly seen by an eyewitness, and the true record was written so that readers might believe.
That wound and flow establish that He truly died in a real body of flesh and bone. They refute the claims that He only fainted and afterward revived, or that His body was only an appearance and not real. The unmistakable evidence that He had truly died makes certain the truth of His resurrection. The centurion who commanded the soldiers at the cross also reported His death to Pilate and recounted the events at Calvary, corroborating the account given by Joseph.
He died suddenly from a supernatural cause, which was a great mystery to the people who saw it. The cause was His heart broken by mental agony, and blood and water flowed from His side after that death. These things were done so that Scripture would be fulfilled that not a bone of Him would be broken and that He would be pierced. His unbroken body fulfills the Passover rule that no bone of the sacrificial lamb be broken, presenting Him as the complete offering of the Lamb of God.
The verse belongs to the crucifixion scene where Jesus hangs on the cross with a crowd gathered beneath Him reacting with grief and terror.
What Blood and Water Mean
When the side was pierced, blood and clear water came out together in two distinct streams. The blood washes away the sins of those who believe in His name. The water is the living water received from Him that gives life to the believer.
Together the blood and water are a double cure for sin, saving at once from its guilt and from its power. The stream of blood from the riven side reconciled humanity to God through the sacrifice of redemption. The pierced side is the channel, opened at infinite cost through the suffering of the beloved Son, through which God's mercy flows to the world. It is the bleeding side from which salvation flows.
His wounded side with His wounded hands and feet pleads for fallen humanity. They testify to the infinite cost of redemption and to the enduring efficacy of His atoning sacrifice. His sacred blood is pleaded on the sinner's behalf, and His merits as the slain Lamb are accepted by God as a purifier from sin, just as sacrificial blood cleansed Israel from guilt.
The suffering and piercing show the value of a soul, for He risked all and would have laid down His life for even one sinner. His wounded body and death were self-sacrifice to save fallen people and bring them to God. His suffering and precious blood purchased people for God, including children, while Satan was raging against God and His Son. The pierced side, together with His incarnation, His sweat-drops of blood, and the marks of the nails in His hands and feet, shows His unmeasured love and the great sacrifice made in behalf of the lost.
The Wound Remains and Calls
The spear mark remains forever on the glorified body together with the nail marks in the hands and feet, and there it belongs to glory and honor and beauty. The wounds of Calvary declare power to save because He gave Himself to redeem humanity, and for that same reason they declare power to execute justice upon those who reject mercy. They will praise Him and declare His power throughout eternity.
Those who thrust the spear into His side will see that mark upon His glorified body and recognize Him as the very one they crucified and mocked. The soldier who pierced Him will see it with terror and remorse when Christ appears in glory, and those who took part in the cruelty will see the marks of their cruelty and mourn their part in His death. This meeting takes place when He appears in glory as King in the clouds of heaven, at the second resurrection and after the wicked dead are raised at the close of the thousand years. At that day of coming as judgment, those who were favored with great light but rejected it, who might have been saved had they obeyed but refused to obey, will fully understand the great sacrifice made for the lost with its unmeasured love shown in incarnation, sweat-drops of blood, pierced side, and nail marks, and will ask to be hidden from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Keeping close to His bleeding, pierced side is living in close connection with Jesus by drawing near to Him and His sacrifice. It is relying on Him as a defense and pressing close in reliance upon Christ. It is living humbly and wholly for God, with prayer and the subduing of pride and selfishness. It is receiving His love as a living influence that flows from the soul to others in tenderness and compassion, the drawing near of the troubled believer, and the place where strife and contention are brought to an end.
The One thus wounded in the side is the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, and the Source of power and strength and efficiency. Abiding close to His bleeding side lets the Holy Spirit impress the heart and leads to working in His lines, keeping believers from drawing apart and giving one mind and one judgment. That closeness joins believers to Him so they become partakers of the divine nature with power to overcome the corruption in the world through lust, and it brings God's blessing to rest upon His people. Coming close to the suffering Man of Calvary brings nearness to God so that His Spirit abides in the home, making it pleasant and cheerful, a little heaven on earth and the most attractive place on earth to children, with all the blessings of the household. Since His shed blood purchased people to be strengthened and blessed and helped and not condemned and destroyed, those who are partakers with Him in His sufferings will at last be partakers with Him in His glory.