John 19:34–35

Context

This passage comes at the end of the crucifixion scene in chapter 19 of the Gospel of John. Because the next day was the Sabbath and a high feast day, the Jewish leaders asked Pontius Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and their bodies taken away. The soldiers broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus, but when they saw that Jesus was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water came out.

Verse 35 is a comment in which the narrator pauses the story. It states that the one who saw this event bore witness, that his testimony is true, and that its purpose is "that ye might believe." Verses 36–37 then present the event as the fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture: "A bone of him shall not be broken" and "They shall look on him whom they pierced."

Interpretation

• As historical testimony: This reading takes the passage as confirming, through eyewitness testimony, that Jesus truly died. Many commentators see it as an emphasis directed against Docetism, the view that Jesus only appeared to have a body, and connect it with 1 John 5:6, which speaks of "he that came by water and blood."
• Sacramental reading: Ancient Church Fathers, including Augustine, regarded the water as a symbol of baptism and the blood as a symbol of the Lord's Supper. Some also taught that just as Eve came from the side of the sleeping Adam, so the church was born from the side of the dead Christ. This reading remains widespread in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions.
• Symbolic and theological reading: The water is understood to point to the "rivers of living water" of John 7:38–39, that is, to the Holy Spirit and to purification, while the blood points to the sacrifice of atonement. Together with the fact that his legs were not broken, the passage is often read within the Gospel of John's portrayal of Jesus as the Passover lamb.
• Medical explanations: Since the nineteenth century, there have been attempts to identify the blood and water as bodily fluids such as pericardial or pleural fluid. Many have noted, however, that the text is concerned with testimony and meaning rather than physiological causes.

Debates and Issues

• Identity of the witness: Traditionally, the witness has been identified as the "disciple whom he loved" who stood by the cross (John 19:26), namely the apostle John. A similar statement of testimony appears in John 21:24. Scholars hold various views on the identity of this disciple. It is also debated whether "he" in verse 35 ("he knoweth that he saith true") refers to the eyewitness himself or to someone else who vouches for his testimony.
• Scope of sacramental interpretation: Denominations with strong sacramental traditions emphasize the connection with baptism and the Lord's Supper. Some evangelicals, including Baptists, give priority to the historical testimony and the meaning of the atonement and tend to be cautious about treating sacramental symbolism as the primary meaning of the text.
• Textual issue: Some ancient manuscripts add an account of the spear thrust after Matthew 27:49. The prevailing view is that this material was borrowed from John and inserted there, and most translations do not include it in the text.

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean Protestant churches, the passage is frequently used in Holy Week sermons to explain the reality of Christ's death and the atonement accomplished on the cross. The hymn "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me" sings of the water and the blood that flowed from the wounded side, and its original lyrics are understood to draw on this scene.

Related Passages

• 1 John 5:6
• Zechariah 12:10
• John 20:31
• Exodus 12:46
• John 7:38–39