After talking a little bit yesterday about interpreting Scripture, I am going to quote the third section of Burridge's commentary for today in its entirety.
As often, there are many interpretations of John's deeper meaning for the blood and water. Since Jesus dies as the true Passover lamb, blood recalls how the lamb's blood was sprinkled by the priests (2 Chron. 35:11). On the other hand, water recalls Jesus' promise that out of his koilia, heart or chest, will flow 'streams of living water', which John interpreted as the giving of the Spirit after he had been glorified in death (7:38-39). Some early Fathers saw here the two-fold baptism of water and baptism of blood, or martyrdom, faced by their people in the persecutions. Others interpret it as the Lord's gift of the two sacraments: water for baptism, and blood for the wine of communion. We have noted the connection of water with baptism and the Spirit before (e.g., 3:5; 7:38-39), while blood comes only in the discourse about eading his flesh and drinking his blood (6:53-56). After the hints of bread and wine, vines and cups through John's account of Jesus' last night and day, another reference to the sacraments here is very possible.
The mystery of Jesus' death on the cross for us is so deep that none of these interpretations will ever fully exhaust it. We can only stand at the foot of the corss, like the disciple who witnessed it (19:35)--and marvel. From that messy, all to human death pours a flood of spiritual benefits of forgiveness and new life in the Spirit, freely given to us and to all God's people. (p. 225)
All of that out of four short verses of Scripture (19:31-34)!
Peace,
Jeffri
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