The piercing of the Lord’s side was typified by Adam’s opened side (Gen. 2:21). Adam’s side was opened and a rib was taken out. Here, Jesus’ side was opened and blood and water flowed out from this opened side.
The blood which flowed out of the Lord’s side is for redemption (Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rom. 3:25). Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The blood here signifies the redemptive aspect of Christ’s death (John 1:29). The blood which flowed out for our redemption was typified by the blood of the Passover lamb (Exo. 12:7). As Zechariah 13:1 indicates, this redeeming blood formed a fountain for the washing of sins. Hallelujah for such a fountain! This fountain is not for drinking but for washing. The blood which flowed out was also for purchasing the church (Acts 20:28). The blood which formed a fountain for the washing of sins was the price of the purchase of the church.
The water which flowed out of His side signifies the life-imparting aspect of Christ’s death (12:24). Water is for the imparting of life (4:14; Rev. 22:1). As we have pointed out, this is typified by the water flowing out of the smitten rock (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4). This water became “the fountain of life” (Psa. 36:9). While the blood formed a fountain for washing, the water formed a fountain for drinking. The blood was for the purchase of the church, whereas the water, signifying the eternal life, was for the producing of the church. As we have seen, this is typified by Eve having been produced out of Adam’s released rib.
This second aspect of the Lord’s death is the life-releasing, life-propagating, life-multiplying death, the generating and reproducing death. When the Lord Jesus said that He was a grain of wheat falling into the ground to die that many grains might be produced (12:24), He was referring to the life-imparting aspect of His death. The dying of this grain of wheat was not for redemption; it was absolutely for imparting into the many grains the life that was in the original grain. On the negative side, Christ’s death removed our sins; on the positive side, it imparted the divine life into us. As we believe in Him today, our sins are removed by His redemptive death, and eternal life is imparted into us by His life-imparting death. This life-imparting death is also the life-releasing, life-propagating, and life-multiplying death. It is the generating and reproducing death.
Consider a grain of wheat. Its life is confined within the grain. By death, the life in the grain is released. Likewise, by His death on the cross, Christ’s divine life was released. Hence, His death was the life-releasing death. Since His divine life was not only released out of Him but also imparted into us, His death was the life-imparting death. On His side, it was the life-releasing death; on our side, it is the life-imparting death. Moreover, it is the life-propagating death, for by it life is spread in many directions. Furthermore, it is the life-multiplying death, causing the multiplication of life. It is also the life-reproducing death, for the one grain has been reproduced in the many grains. How we need to be impressed with these wonderful aspects of the Lord’s all-inclusive death.
In chapter one of John, we saw the Lamb with the dove. It is not adequate just to have the Lamb. We also need the dove. The Lamb is mainly for redemption, and the dove is mainly for the imparting of life. This is God’s economy.
The life-imparting aspect of the Lord’s death is even more wonderful than the redemptive aspect. Redemption is excellent, marvelous, and wonderful, and it seems that nothing can surpass it. But life-imparting exceeds redemption. Suppose a sinner comes to the Lord and believes on Him as the Lamb of God who died on the cross for his sins, shedding His blood for his sins. The blood even forms a fountain in which he can be cleansed. How wonderful this is! But suppose he is only washed and, experiencing nothing else, is then brought into a heavenly mansion. Although he is washed, he is still dead, like a corpse in a mortuary. He is now deadly clean, being a dead person who had been washed by the blood. By this we see that it is not enough to be cleansed by the blood. We must also be living. There is no need for us to go to a heavenly mansion, for as long as we have the divine life and are living, we have the mutual abode for us and God. If we are redeemed without being reborn, our condition is still poor. God’s purpose is that redemption be followed by the imparting of life. Redemption is for this, preparing the way for us to receive the divine life. The water must follow the blood. We have seen that the blood signifies the redemptive aspect of Christ’s death and that the water signifies the life-imparting aspect. The blood is for redemption, forming a fountain in which we may be cleansed, and the water is for regeneration, forming a fountain of living water from which we may drink at any time. Outwardly we have been washed and inwardly we have been filled with this divine life. Now we are living as well as clean, and we all can shout, “Hallelujah! I have been redeemed and I have been born again!”
Among Christians today, there are endless teachings about the Lord’s redemptive death as seen in the first three Gospels, but the life-giving aspect of His death as seen in the Gospel of John has been much neglected. Most Christians neglect this because they have never adequately seen the matter of life. However, during the last several years the Lord has revealed this matter to His church. We are becoming clearer that this is the main aspect of the Lord’s death and that the redemptive aspect is supplementary. The eternal purpose of God is to impart Himself into us as life—this is the main aspect. But we have committed sin. Hence, redemption is necessary as a stopgap procedure. But this is not the main aspect. From eternity past to eternity future, God’s intention is to impart Himself into us as life. During the process of time, we became fallen and committed sin. The fall brought about a gap in God’s eternal purpose. God bridged this gap and filled it in with redemption. By this we see that redemption is supplementary to the main aspect of the Lord’s death. Thus, the main point regarding the Lord’s death in John’s record is that it released life and imparted it into us.