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Jesus' Side Is Pierced (John 19:31-37)

 It would have been undignified at the very least, to leave the bodies of condemned men hanging on the crosses for the Passover. The Romans consented to breaking the legs of the prisoners, so the men would die if they were still alive. (The only way to keep breathing for at least a time while you are being crucified is to push up on your feet.)

The soldiers discovered that Jesus was already dead. Who knows what caused the soldier to stab Jesus in the side with a spear? He did, though, and blood and water came out. St. John says he saw it. This is his way of letting us know that he saw this personally, without drawing attention to himself. He never mentions himself by name anywhere in the Gospel.

The quotation referring to broken bones is from Psalm 34, a Psalm of David. It speaks again of the Lord answering the call of those who cry to him. There were also NIV cross-references to the law of Moses relating to the Passover, in the books of Exodus and Numbers. This is St. John's way of saying that Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb, who saves his people from judgment. St. Paul will state this explicitly later, in one of his letters to the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 5:7).

 When we believe in Jesus, and trust him with everything we are, his blood is sprinkled on the doorposts of our house, so to speak. One thing we ought to be certain of is that we cannot face the judgment of the Father on our own. St. John himself will say that Christ is our Advocate before the Father, in a later letter to his own churches (1 John 2:1).

There must have been something awe-inspiring about what the soldiers saw when they pierced him. Perhaps one of them became a Christian in that moment. Whether we have an amazing moment like this, or whether we learn to trust Jesus little by little each day, he will never let us go.

Many church fathers and thinkers see the blood and water as symbolic of the two sacraments of Baptism, and the Eucharist. Many say that the Church itself was born in that moment. In any case, Jesus is for us, and he will give us whatever we need, including Himself.

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