Lesson for the Lord’s Day
But one of the solders with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John 19:34
Of all those who attended the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, the Roman solders were the most involved and the least interested. They were simply doing their job, albeit one of the more gruesome tasks they had to perform. Because this was a Roman execution, it was conducted Rome’s way, and the soldiers had their responsibilities, one of which was to make sure those who were crucified actually died. After breaking the thieves’ legs to make sure they perished quickly, the soldiers found Jesus dead already. But they had to be sure. So one soldier thrust his spear into the body in the area of the heart, to release the blood and water he knew would be pooled there. He knew exactly what he was doing; it was not a careless or spiteful act. But his act provides you and me with proof that Jesus not only died but also shed His blood, the blood that has cleansed us.
All of the scenes of the crucifixion are deeply moving, and we recount them today as we gather to remember the Lord. But the sight of blood and water gushing from our Saviour’s side is particularly moving as we contemplate it. All of the Old Testament offerings were marked with the shedding of blood. Innocent, but not willing, animals were pierced that their life blood should provide a representative for the blood that flowed at Calvary. Rivers of blood through the centuries flowed, precious to God who saw in those offerings that which spoke of His Son. As Jesus bled from His many wounds on the cross, and finally from the spear that pierced His side, God saw the fulfilment of all those offerings, the only blood that ever really mattered to Him.
You and I were unworthy to shed our blood that day. The thief at Jesus side admitted his death was deserved and his blood was steeped in guilt. But He saw One whose death was undeserved, and saw blood flowing that was pure and undefiled by sin. That precious blood is a primary focus for us today, because, like that thief, we have known of its cleansing power forever.
There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. -Jim MacIntosh