John 19:31-37: The Water and the Blood

John  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
0 ratings
· 3 views

By His death Jesus atones for and cleanses all of our sin to give us Eternal Life. By His death Jesus became the Fountain of all Grace and Salvation for all who trust in Him. By His death Jesus is the Fountain of Grace and Salvation.

Notes
Transcript

Scripture Reading

1 John 5:6–13 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.… that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Intro

They are some of the words of one of our most favorite Hymns:
There is a fountain filled with blood   Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,   Lose all their guilty stains.
The joy!… The Great Promise of that Salvation… all because Jesus laid down His life for us.
In John 19:31-37 John shows us the great aftermath of Christ’s death of bowing His head and giving up His spirit.
And in that great aftermath John wants us to see what it was all about.
What Christ gave up His life for.
And what John doesn’t want us to miss is our Big Idea for today…

By His death Jesus became the Fountain of all Grace and Salvation for all who trust in Him.

In other words…

By His death Jesus delivers, atones for, and cleanses us of all our sin.

We are going to have three points today all looking at what Christ accomplished in His death on the cross.
How Christ delivered us from our sin as our Passover Lamb.
How He gave us Eternal Life and the grace of atonement and cleansing from sin.
And how by His death He gave us the Covenant of Grace.
Let’s start with point number 1…

I. Jesus is Our True Passover Lamb

John 19:31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
At this point in the story Jesus has died.

Voluntary Sacrifice

Just before this… having accomplished everything necessary for our salvation… Jesus cried out with a loud voice “It is finished,” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
Remember… Jesus didn’t merely just die… He wasn’t just killed.
No one took His life from Him.
Jesus laid down His life.
His death was an active, willful, purposeful sacrifice.
A voluntary sacrifice offered on our behalf to save us from our sins.
As Jesus said “I lay down my life… No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up…This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:17-18).
Why? Because “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Jesus gave His life as a voluntary sacrifice.
And He gave His life out of His great love for us.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Crucifixion Postlude

And after Jesus’ death, John gives us the postlude of the Crucifixion.
What happened with Jesus after He gave us His life.
The other Gospels give us some of this.
The veil of the temple is torn in two.
There is a great earthquake (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38).
The Roman Centurion standing guard over Jesus confesses Jesus and says, “Surely this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39).
And the people standing by all went home beating their own breasts (Luke 23:48).
But John zooms in and focuses on Christ.
Where the other Gospels focus on other events or other people… John wants us to see Jesus!

Day of Preparation

And after Jesus died on the cross, John tells us that the Jews had asked Pilate to break His legs and the legs of the two prisoners with them to speed up their deaths.
At this point they didn’t know Jesus was dead.
And the reason was they wanted to go and celebrate the Passover.
John says it was the Day of Preparation (John 19:14).
Now this Day of Preparation could be one of two things, and this is important because some people will say, “Well Jesus the Bible says celebrated the Passover on Thursday and here John is saying that Jesus died on Passover.”
“The Bible contradicts itself and can’t be trusted.”
But that’s not true.

Sabbath Week

The Day of Preparation could be the Day of Preparation for the Sabbath of Passover Week which John mentions in this verse saying that the next day Sabbath was a high day meaning a special Sabbath because it was the Sabbath of Passover Week.
The Jews could not work on the Sabbath so to keep the celebration going for Passover Week, they would prepare the day before.

Passover Itself

Or It could be the Day of Preparation as in the celebration of Passover itself and the sacrifice of all the Passover Lambs.
Well, what about Jesus’ Passover the night before with His disciples?
If you’ll remember, there is some evidence that Southern Jews… like the Jews in Jerusalem.. counted days from Sunset to Sunset meaning for them Passover began Thursday night the night before making their big celebration of the Passover… the Passover Feast and the Sacrifice of the Lambs… the next day sunset on Friday night.
Northern Jews, however… like those from Nazareth and Galilee where Jesus and most of His disciples were from… counted days like we do… going from Sunrise to Sunrise.
So for them Passover would have began on Thursday morning and Jesus and His Disciples would have celebrated their Passover Feast Thursday night with the Lord’s Supper just like the other Gospels say they did.
So their is not contradiction in Scripture.
Either everybody celebrated it on Thursday night and the Day of Preparation was the Preparation day for the Passover Week Sabbath when no one could work…
Or Jesus and His Disciples had already celebrated Passover the night before being northern Jews and at that very hour… the hour Jesus was crucified… the Southern Jews were preparing to celebrate their Passover Feast with Passover Lambs being slaughtered all throughout the city.
Meaning Jesus would be dying at the same time as all the Passover Lambs.
For my part that’s how I take it… but at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how you take it because whichever way you go Jesus’ death is directly connected to the Passover whether we are talking about the Passover week in general or the specific day of the Passover sacrifices.

Point

Because John’s point in highlighting the Passover again and again all throughout the Passion Narrative is to show us that Jesus is the True Fulfillment of the Passover and the True Passover Lamb.
That’s the Theology behind the History.
In the crucifixion of Jesus, John wants us to see that Jesus is our True, Once For All Passover Sacrifice, and the True Fulfillment of Everything that the Passover pointed to.
By His death He is our True Deliverance and our True, Once For All Eternal Passover.
And theres an irony here because the Jews were wanting to go celebrate the Passover and the Shadows and the Types while True Passover Lamb was being crucified right there.
And to do that John goes to verse 32…
John 19:32–33 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
This is significant.
For one it fulfills prophecy giving yet another proof that Jesus really is the Messiah.
In Psalm 22… the Psalm of the cross… written hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus and crucifixion says They have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots (Psalm 22:16-18; cf Psalm 34:20).
All things fulfilled in John’s Gospel at Jesus death.
But more than that they did not break His legs doesn’t just fulfill prophecy… it fulfills Types and Shadows.
A little bit later in verse 36 John specifically quotes the book of Exodus about the Passover Lamb and applies it directly to Jesus… For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”
This comes from Exodus 12:46 where God said Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old (Exodus 12:5).
Not one of HIs bones will be broken, and you shall the the blood and put it over the door of your house (Exodus 12:7).
Exodus 12:12–13 For I will pass through the land of Egypt… and I will strike all the firstborn in the land… both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
The Blood of the Passover Lamb was a Promise of Deliverance.

Passover

You’ll remember how the first Passover started.
God’s people Israel were in the land of Egypt serving as slaves for 400 years (Genesis 15:13, Acts 7:6).
They made their lives bitter with hard service, and worked them ruthlessly as slaves (Exodus 1:14).
And the people groaned and cried our to God from their slavery and the Bible says Their cry for rescue… came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant… [and] God saw the people of Israel—and God knew (Exodus 2:23-25).
God took notice. God took care and concern.
It wasn’t that God was unaware what was going on.
The sense is that God took an active interest in the deliverance of His people out of His great love for them.
And so God sent Moses to Pharoah saying, “Let, my people go!” (Exodus 5:1).

Hardening

And if you read the Exodus, you’ll notice that it says that Pharoah hardened His own heart… and that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as well (Pharaoh: Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:34; God: Exodus 4:21; 7:13-14, 22, 8:19, 9:7, 12, 35; 10:1, 20, 27; 14:8).
One of the things this shows us is the Sovereignty of God in Salvation (Romans 9:17-18).
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.
But in the context of the Exodus this shows us two things.

Power

Pharoah hardening his own heart shows us God’s sovereign power to deliver His people because no enemy and no force can stand in His way.
There is nothing that can keep God from redeeming His people.

Grace

And God hardening Pharaoh’s heart shows us that our salvation and our deliverance is by God’s mighty grace.
It was to make it abundantly clear that there was no “grace” from Pharoah that made him let God’s people go.
It was God’s grace and God’s grace alone.

Plagues

And so God sent plagues against Egypt… each one showcasing God’s Power and Majesty over the Egyptians and their gods… with the last plague being the Angel of Death and the celebration of the First Passover (Exodus 12:12).
And the message of Passover is very simple… God delivers His people by the death of an innocent substitute.
A Lamb without Blemish (1 Peter 1:19).
Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World (John 1:29).
God sees the blood of the Lamb and the Angel of Death passes over that house and no plague and judgment befalls them.
Just as it is with us in Christ.
Jesus is the True Passover and the True Passover Lamb.
By His death God delivers us from our bondage an dour slavery to sin, Satan, condemnation, and death.
He brings us out of the Land of Egypt into the Promise Land of Eternal Life.
Paul says For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7).
God sees the blood of Christ, and God’s wrath passes over us washed in the blood of the Lamb.
By His death, Christ delivers us from death.
All the themes and all the Promises of Passover are all fulfilled in Christ.
Deliverance.
Redemption.
Grace.
Freedom.
Forgiveness.
Promised Land.
Blessing.
It was all a Type and a Shadow pointing to its True and Ultimate Fulfillment Jesus Christ.
Not one of His bones will be broken.
Jesus is our True Passover Lamb.
Number 2…
The next thing John wants us to see that Jesus accomplished by His death is that…

II. Jesus is the Fountain of Eternal Life

John 19:33–35 “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
Now why does John put this little detail here?
For one… it proves that Jesus died as a man.
He suffered in the flesh for our sins and pay the debt we owed to God (John 1:4, 1 Peter 4:1).
And that’s usually where so many people leave it.
They stop at the bare historical fact and only look at it scientifically.
“Well the spear pierced the sac around Jesus’ heart called the pericardium showing that Jesus truly died and that explains why the blood and water flowed” (Philipps, John , Vol. 2., Reformed Expository Commentary, 598).
And listen… that’s all true.
Jesus truly did suffer and die in the flesh.
He died as a Man to save man from their sins.
But John also goes deeper.
The blood and the water are theologically significant for John.
And we know that because in verse 35 John looks at the blood and the water and says He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.
This again is that Theology behind the History.
In the Historical Facts and Details John highlights from the cross John is preaching a sermon.
What did Jesus go to the cross to do?
What was He accomplishing?
What were the spiritual realities behind everything that was actually happening?
John chose these details for a reason… what was it?
To get the answer we need to look how blood and water are both used in the Gospel of John because this isn’t just showing up for the first time…
John has been laying the groundwork for this moment all throughout the Gospel of John.
When we do that we find in both instances Jesus is the Fountain of Eternal Life.
By His death He is the fountain of Life-Giving Blood.
And by His death He is the fountain of Life-Giving water.
Let’s start with blood… Number 1…

1. Jesus is the Fountain of Life-Giving Blood

The first mention of blood is in John 1:12–13 where it says But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
So the children of God are born not of blood… as in your physical or natural descent.
Or in other words, coming from a Christian family doesn’t save you.
Nor of the will of the flesh… meaning your works… your righteousness… your exertion and “goodness” can’t save.
Nor the will of man… Salvation does not come from our own will because our will is dead in our trespasses and sins and a slave to our passions and the Flesh.
So its not your blood… your works… or your will that saves you!
You need the blood, works, and will of another.
The blood of Christ, His perfect work, and His sovereign will.
And that takes us to John 6:53–56 the only other mention of blood in the whole Gospel.
John 6:53-56 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
Drink… my… blood.
Now this would have been incredibly offensive to the Jews.
We’re used to it.
We talk about drinking Christ’s blood every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
We are expressing our faith in Christ’s atoning blood.
But for a Jew drinking blood was a “no-no”
A huge “no-no!”
Because according to the Law anyone that ate or drank blood would be cut off from the People.
Cut off from the Covenant and from the People and Promises of God.
Leviticus 17:10–12 If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.
Why?
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.
The blood is precious!
It was God’s gift to deal with and atone for sin.
For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
And the life of the flesh is in the blood.
And Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
So the blood is for atonement and for dealing with sin.
Its by the blood that our sin is paid and we are reconciled to God.
And then Jesus comes along and says unless you drink my blood you have no life in you.
My blood is the True Atonement.
My blood is the True Sacrifice for sin.
And so when Jesus dies its no coincidence that when He’s pierced in the side… the blood begins to flow.

Out of His death flows life-giving atonement for sin.

By His death… Jesus is the Fountain of Life-Giving Blood.
Second…

2. Jesus is the Fountain of Life-Giving Water

Now the Water is a much more prominent theme in John.
Jesus’ first miracle was turning into wine at the Wedding in Cana using six stone water normally used for the rights of purification (John 2:1-12).
So there the water turned into wine represented cleansing… purification… joy… blessing… and communion with God.
All foreshadowing what Jesus came to accomplish.
His first miracle was no accident.

New Birth/Cleansing

The next time we see water is with Nicodemus talking about the New Birth.
In John 3:3-5 Jesus said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [that is born again, born from above… there’s two senses there talking about a spiritual and a heavenly birth… born of God] unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
To which Nicodemus said “How can a man be born when he is old?”
How can you be born a second time?
To which Jesus said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
So the water and the Spirit are not two separate births.
They are one both expanding on what it means to be born again, born from above.
And what Jesus is talking about is the New Birth of the New Covenant.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
By the water and the Spirit there is cleansing and new, spiritual life.
There is a washing and purification by which we are made New Creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Man Born Blind/Washing the Disciples Feet

We get a picture of this from another example of water from the Gospel of John with the Man born Blind.
Jesus takes mud from the ground and puts it on the man’s eyes and tells him to go and wash (John 9:6-7).
And the man does it and comes back seeing.
There is a washing leading to new spiritual sight… you cannot see the Kingdom of God unless you are born again.
Jesus washes the Disciples’ feet (John 13:3-10).
Again… cleansing.

Woman at the Well

Water is also associated with Life.
With the Woman at the Well Jesus said in John 4:10, 13-14 If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water… Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
This idea of soul-satisfying thirst quenching water for thirsty souls welling up and overflowing… rushing out like a geyser of Eternal Life.

Holy Spirit

And finally, water is associated with the Promise and Gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 7:37–39 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
So you have Cleansing… Life… Soul-Satisfying Joy… and the Gift of the Holy Spirit who is the seal of these promises all associated with water.
And out of His side… His death… these Rivers of Living Water are opened up and these Rivers begin to flow.

Eternal Life

When you put both of these together… the water and the blood…
The Atonement and the Cleansing… Life-Giving… Soul-Satisfying Joy and Gift of the Holy Spirit…
What you get is Eternal Life.
By His death Jesus really did atone for and cleanse us of all sin.
He gave us the Holy Spirit and Life-Giving Water…
New Spiritual Life.
He is the Fountain of Eternal Life!
And from Him only does the blood and water flow…
The cleansing and forgiveness of sins.
John 19:35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.
This is John’s own testimony that Jesus really does give Eternal Life.
He is the Fountain of Life-Giving Blood.
The Fountain of Life-Giving Water.
And the Only One that can save us from all our sins.
Finally… Number 3…

III. Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace

John 19:36–37 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
John here quotes two Scriptures highlighting again how all the prophecies of the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus and His death.
We looked at one already… Not one of His bones will be broken from the Book of Exodus where Jesus is the True Passover Lamb.
And the other is from Zechariah… They will look on him whom they have pierced.
And when we go back to the context of these passages is quoting here… its not just some unique facts where Jesus’ fulfilled this prophecy… check… and Jesus fulfilled this prophecy… check.
What John is doing here is more than just Prophecy Accounting.
When New Testament Authors quote the Old Testament they are usually bringing in the context of that Old Testament Passage as well.
And so when you look at these verses in context John highlights them together show us… not just that Jesus fulfilled Prophecy… but also the great result of Jesus’ death.
That not one of His legs will be broken and they will look on Him whom they have pierced where the blood and water began to flow both show that Jesus the Fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace.
The New Covenant… God’s Free Gift of salvation for all who believe in Him.

Passover

Take the Passover where Jesus is the Passover Lamb.
After the Angel of Death swept through the Land Pharaoh finally let the people go.
They were delivered by the Blood.
And then, as they went, Pharaoh changed His mind and chased them.
They came to the Red Sea and God parted the Red Sea in two and brought the people across on dry land.
They were delivered by the Water.
And God brought them to Mount Sinai where He made a covenant with them… the Old Covenant… that said I will be your God and you will be my people, and eventually brought them into the Promise Land.
So when we look at it through the lens of Biblical Theology… as a Type and a Shadow that points to its True Fulfillment in Christ what do we see?
That the People of God were in bondage and slavery and God delivered them by the blood of the Passover Lamb and the Water of the Red Sea…
To make a Covenant with them and bring them into the Promise Land… a land flowing with milk and honey… Life and Blessing.
In the same way Christ as the True Fulfillment delivered us from our slavery and death to the Promise Land of Eternal Life where God is our God and we are His people in the New Covenant…
And He delivered us by the Water and the Blood.
The Cleansing and Atoning Blood of His sacrifice.

Zechariah

In the Book of Zechariah God bemoans the False Shepherds of Israel and looks forward to a New Shepherd-King David who would save, redeem, and cleanse His people. (Zechariah 13:7).
And then when Jesus came He came saying, “I am the good shepherd. [And] The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Well John quotes this from Zechariah 12:10 where it says And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
And then in that very same passage in Zechariah 13:1 God said…
On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
So they will look on Him whom they have pierced and on that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem… for the people of God!… to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
With the ultimate result being Zechariah 13:9…
They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They are my people”; and they will say, “The Lord is my God.”
The Hope of the New Covenant… the full forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God.

Deliverance, Atonement, Cleansing, I Will be their God = Covenant of Grace

When you put this all together…
The Deliverance of Passover…
The Atonement…
The Cleansing…
The I will be their God and they will be My people…
What you have is the Covenant of Grace.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses (Ezekiel 36:25).
I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10).
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
And I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Hebrews 8:11).
And I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more (Hebrews 8:12).
All fulfilled in Christ and His death.
Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace.

Conclusion

By His death Jesus delivers, atones for, and cleanses us of all our sin.

That’s what the water and the blood are meant to show.
The Deliverance and Eternal Life we have by grace through faith in Him.
The Good News of the Gospel.
He is our Passover Lamb who delivers us from our slavery to sin.
He is the Fountain of Eternal Life literally pouring out His Life-Giving blood to atone for all our sin and Life-Giving Water to cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness.
And in that Deliverance and in that Eternal Life Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace.
I will remember their sins no more and remove their sins as far from them as East is from the West (Psalm 103:12).

Jesus is the Fountain of all Grace and Salvation for all who trust in Him.

We sing it all the time in that famous Hymn…
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure.

Let’s Pray

Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more
Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.
Copyright 2025 LogosFeatures|Pricing|Privacy|Terms of Use|Support