THE KING’S BUSINESS
835
Tuesday, September 5 . i John 19 : 31 - 37 -
a resurrection was hot really a 1 resurrec tion, but merely a case o f resuscitation o f one who* was merely in a swoon. The one making the attack asked, “ Do dead men bleed?” No, men who die in an ordinary way do not bleed, but if a man dies o f a broken heart, the blood flows into the per icardium and soon separates into its con stituent elements o f serum, or water, and red blood corpuscles, or blood, then if the" pericardium is pierced, blood and water will flow out. This is exactly what occur red in the case o f the Lord Jesus, and it is one o f the many incidental proofs o f the literal accuracy o f the narrative and that we are reading, not fiction, but fact, and so what is taken as an objection to the Gospel narrative is really a confirmation o f it. It would have been absolutely impos sible, with the scientific knowledge o f that time, to have made this story up in this way, But what broke the heart o f Jesus? Sjn. Your sin and mine. But is there apy spir itual significance in the blood and water coming out? Water came forth from the rock smitten by, Moses, and we are told that “that rock was Christ” . (1 Cor, 10:4), and from the smitten rock Christ there flows, not merely the atoning blood, but the living water (cf. John 7:37-39), Wednesday, September 6 . John 19 : 38 - 42 . Here again we see another Old Testa ment prophecy fulfilled in the place and manner o f Jesus’ burial. It had been pre dicted Seven hundred years before that He would not only make his grave with the wicked, which was fulfilled by His dying between two thieves, but “with the rich in His death,” and this is fulfilled by His being literally laid in the rich man’s tomb (Isa. 53:39; v. 38; cf. Matt. 25:57-60). The death o f the Lord Jesus transformed Joseph and Nicodemus from secret disciples into •open disciples. Their discipleship did not count for much until they became open dis ciples. They had made feeble protests but were soon silenced (ch. 7:50-52; Luke 23:50, 51). Unless they had come out openly the Lord would not have confessed
It was “the Preparation,” i. e., the Prep aration o f the Passover, the day before the Passover began (v. 14; cf. ch. 18:28), the next day; would be a Sabbath, not. the weekly Sabbath, but the first day o f the Passover, which was always a Sabbath of the Jews whatever day o f the week it came (Lev. 23:7). This year it came on Thurs day (A . B. 30). The Passover Sabbath was “a high day.” The Jews would not endure the thought that their great day, the greatest day o f all the year, should be polluted by criminals hanging on a cross. They were not at all sensitive by its being polluted by their own hands being stained by the murder o f the Son o f God, but. recoiled in horror at the thought that it should be polluted by the one whom they had crucified hanging on the cross that day.' Jesus was dead already, so His legs were not broken. This seemingly' was a chance, but by this seeming chance the Old Testament prophetic type o f the Pascal Lamb was literally and minutely fulfilled (v. 36). But the Roman soldiers were determined to make sure that Jesus was really dead, so a spear was thrust into His side. By this spear thrust Jesus was “pierced,” exactly according to the proph ecy o f Zechariah (Zech. 12:10). And then a notable thing comes to pass: forth from that pierced side flows blood and water. Not blood only, but blood and water. John was so impressed by the fact that he recorded it and emphasized it, though in the state o f scientific knowledge then exist ing, John could not have understood, and no pne else could have understood at that time, its full significance. That water min gled with the blood showed that Jesus dies o f extravasation o f the blood, or what is commonly known as a broken heart. This too was according to Old Testament predic tion (Ps. 69:20). A recent attack upon the reality o f the resurrection o f Christ takes this fact, that blood flowed from the side o f Jesus, as proof that Jesus was not really dead, and that what is alleged to have been
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker