“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side,
and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
(John 19:34)
Jesus was crucified on Friday, the day commonly referred to in the Gospels as “Preparation Day” (Mark 15:42), the day before the Sabbath. The Jewish calendar marks days from sundown to sundown, so as Christ approached His final hours on the cross, time was closing in on the beginning of the Sabbath. As such, the religious leaders, who were overly scrupulous in their observance of Mosaic ceremonial law, wanted the bodies of the crucified removed before the Sabbath began.
Among the Ten Commandments, the prohibition of work on the Sabbath (Exod. 20:8-11) gave rise to countless debates among the scribes and Pharisees about what constituted “work.” Carrying a burden was one such act forbidden. Thus, it appears that in their legalistic fervor, these religious zealots would not even tolerate the crosses themselves bearing the “burden” of the dying on the Sabbath.
John 19:31 records their request to Pilate: “Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the sabbath day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” Breaking the legs of those crucified hastened death by preventing them from pushing themselves up to breathe, thereby accelerating suffocation. This request reveals the tragic irony of their religion: obsessed with ceremonial appearances, yet blind to the actual Messiah dying before them.
Pilate granted their request, and the soldiers proceeded to break the legs of the two thieves. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, one of the soldiers, rather than breaking His legs, took a spear and pierced His side. In so doing, the Roman soldier fulfilled the prophecy concerning the Passover lamb in Numbers 9:12: “They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it.”
Jesus, the Lamb of God, was to remain unbroken in death. Psalm 34:20 prophesied this exact fulfillment: “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”[1] The soldier, unknowingly acting under divine direction, preserved this sacred typology. He pierced Christ’s side, and immediately, there flowed blood and water—an image rich with meaning and essential to the gospel.
Blood and water. Together they reveal the two-fold work of Christ for His people: atonement and cleansing. Blood was shed for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28), and water symbolized purification from uncleanness (Zech. 13:1). The blood of justification and the water of sanctification cannot be divided. To drink of one without the other is to attempt to take Christ in part, which He does not permit. For those He justifies, He also sanctifies (1 Cor. 1:30).
Contemplations:
- Pierced for Me. I cannot consider Christ’s wounded side without knowing He was pierced for my transgressions. My sins summoned that soldier’s thrust. But instead of wrath, He opened to me a fountain of mercy. If I ever question His love, let me return here, to the blood and water that flowed when there was nothing left to give but Himself.
- The Blood and the Water. Lord, let both streams flow into me without obstruction. I need the blood for forgiveness, but I also need the water to make me clean. Let me not settle for justification alone, but pursue sanctification with trembling joy. I want my entire being renewed—heart, mind, and will.
- A Door, Not a Wound. What seemed to the world like a wound was, in truth, an entrance. That torn side is now the gate to grace. Lord, hide me in that cleft of the rock. Let me rest there as Moses did, and see Your glory pass by—not with terror, but with hope. For Your side, once pierced, has become my dwelling place.
- Fulfillment in Every Detail. Not one bone was broken, just as the Scriptures said. And a soldier’s random thrust fulfilled a hidden design. How precise is Your Word, how faithful Your plan. Help me never doubt Your sovereignty, even in what seems cruel or senseless. Every pain You suffered was predicted. Every drop of blood shed was planned. My salvation is not random—it is promised, sealed, and fulfilled.
Prayer (Adoration):
Most holy God, whose justice burns brighter than the sun and whose mercy flows deeper than the sea, I bow in reverence before the pierced side of Christ. I adore You for the wisdom of redemption, that You would ordain that blood and water should flow from the body of Your Son. You could have raised up children to Abraham from stones, but instead You brought forth sons and daughters from the suffering of Christ.
I exalt You for the precision of Your Word, for in that moment when the spear pierced His side, every jot and tittle of Your covenant stood fulfilled. No bone broken, yet His heart was shattered with grief. No ounce of wrath withheld, yet no ounce of mercy denied. You prepared Him to be our Passover, and in Him, You passed over our sins with perfect justice and perfect love.
I praise You for the depth of meaning in that flowing stream. The blood, red as wrath, declares peace. The water, clear as holiness, declares cleansing. And both together declare that no sinner is too vile, no stain too deep, no guilt too heavy. You, O God, have made a way—through the wounded side of Christ—for us to draw near in confidence. Not because of merit, but because of mercy. Not because we are worthy, but because He is willing.
I lift Your name for the mercy that turns wounds into doors, wrath into worship, and judgment into joy. What the world saw as defeat, You turned into triumph. What man meant for cruelty, You made into a covenant. You took the spear thrust of an indifferent soldier and made it the final testimony that all was finished, that the price was paid, that the way to life stood open.
O Lord, let me never approach Your pierced side lightly. Let me never forget the cost, nor grow numb to the wonder. That blood did not dry in vain. That water still washes. That sacrifice still speaks. Let my heart burn with praise, my lips pour out songs, and my life bear witness to the glory of the One who was pierced and yet reigns.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for John 19:34:
1 John 5:6, 8; Rev. 1:5; Matt. 26:28; 1 Peter 1:19.
[1] “They are not left to the Will of Instruments in their trouble. In our Lord Christ was this promise fulfilled.” Thomas Manton, A Fourth Volume Containing One Hundred and Fifty Sermons on Several Texts of Scripture in Two Parts: Part the First Containing LXXIV Sermons: Part the Second Containing LXXVI Sermons: With an Alphabetical Table to the Whole / by … Thomas Manton, Early English Books Online (London: J. D. and are to be sold by Jonathon Robinson .., 1693), 998.
