Why Did Jesus Bleed Water and Blood on the Cross?
Why Blood & Water?
John’s Gospel contains a detail about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that is not included in any of the other Gospels. After Jesus died on the cross, His side was pierced with a spear by a soldier. From the wound came both blood and water (John 19:34). This detail is surprising. Like most people, I would have expected only blood, not water.
The question naturally arises: Why did Jesus bleed both water and blood after He died on the cross? It is likely that the physical toll placed on the body of Jesus from the scourging and the crucifixion contributed to a buildup of water, along with blood, around His lungs and/or heart. This built-up fluid was what came from His side when it was pierced by the soldier shortly after Jesus died. There are at least two possible physiological reasons why blood and water could have been expelled from the pierced side of Jesus. The first is called hypovolemic shock. The second possibility is that pleural effusion resulted from trauma and asphyxiation leading up to, and during, the crucifixion. It is certainly possible that one or both of these conditions, hypovolemic shock due to blood loss and asphyxia due to the crucifixion, led to His biological death. The buildup of water which resulted from one or both of these conditions then came out of the side of Jesus when it was pierced through with the soldier’s spear.
Let’s dig a little deeper into these conditions and why John included this detail when the other Gospel writers did not.
Hypovolemic Shock and Asphyxiation
I’m not a doctor. I don’t even play one on TV! From my research on this topic, I’ve discovered that hypovolemic shock is a condition that can result from loss of large quantities of blood and/or fluids from a human body.
Some may wonder how Jesus could have this condition before His side was pierced. Remember: before Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed into the cross, He was also scourged, severely beaten, and a crown of thorns was forcibly driven into His head and scalp. (For more on the crown of thorns, don’t miss our post: Why Did Jesus Wear a Crown of Thorns?)
The scourging alone—which was a vicious and severe beating performed with a whip or flagellum of several strands weighted with lead balls or pieces of bone in the strands—could easily have killed Jesus on its own. The scourging would have caused many deep lacerations and massive blood loss. This horrific beating very possibly induced hypovolemic shock, which can cause a buildup of water around the heart and lungs.
While we can’t say with 100% certainty that Jesus suffered from this condition, modern medical science does indicate that this would be a very real possibility considering the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus.
A second possibility also exists: pleural effusion. Many people are not aware that the execution method of crucifixion usually resulted in the persons death by asphyxiation, or suffocation. The method of execution slowly, painfully, and efficiently kills the person by putting their body in a position which makes it very difficult to breathe. In order to take a full breath, the crucified person must push up with their feet to alleviate the burden on their chest and lungs, which is an agonizing and exhausting process since the feet have been pierced through and nailed to the cross. The crucified person must constantly fight to breathe while also seeking to find relief from the agonizing pain that each breathe causes.
This slow suffocation eventually results in death by asphyxiation. One of the causes of the eventual asphyxiation can come from a medical condition termed pleural effusion, which also can result from severe physical trauma like Christ endured leading up to and during the crucifixion. This fluid buildup around the lungs can make breathing difficult and can even lead to death on its own in serious cases.
If Jesus experienced pleural effusion while on the cross, it may also explain why He died sooner than the other men who were crucified with Him that same day. Remember, Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died as soon as He did.
Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. (Mark 15:43–44, underline added for emphasis)
Crucifixion was not intended to be a quick death. Pleural effusion may have sped up the process of asphyxiation in Christ. It’s at least a real possibility.
Here is how the Cleveland Clinic defines this condition (link for the full article here, Pleural Effusion: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments (clevelandclinic.org)):
Pleural effusion, sometimes referred to as “water on the lungs,” is the build-up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs. The pleura are thin membranes that line the lungs and the inside of the chest cavity and act to lubricate and facilitate breathing. Normally, a small amount of fluid is present in the pleura.
Of course, it is possible that this build up of water and blood which John saw were the result of some other condition, too. The key takeaway is that this detail that John recorded is in line with the physiological effects of the severe trauma Jesus endured both leading up to and also during His crucifixion. While it was unexpected to me, those with a greater knowledge of medical science would be less surprised to hear this detail.
Why did John include this detail?
John was an eye-witness to the crucifixion of Christ. We know John was there because Jesus asked John (the disciple whom He loved) while He was on the cross to be a son to His mother, Mary. So, John was there – up close – and he would have seen all of the specific details while with Jesus.
Further, John explains in John 19:35 that he wrote his Gospel as a true testimony “so that you also may believe.” John wrote down many details that, perhaps, many of us wouldn’t have thought to write. For just one example, John wrote of a face wrap seen at the tomb after Jesus had risen from the dead that was rolled up in a place by itself (John 20:7). We have an article about this, titled Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?
John’s purpose was to provide a true personal account. It makes sense that he would include details that stood out to him and that he witnessed with his own eyes. These additional details bring a vividness to his testimony as an eye-witness of the events he records.
The detail of Jesus being pierced certainly stood out to John. This was the fulfilment of two specific prophecies. John writes of these in John 19:36–37. “Not a bone of Him shall be broken” and “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” What came out of Jesus after He was pierced (water and blood) is most simply explained to be what John observed that day when He watched His Lord and Savior die upon the cross.
Symbolic, Literal, or Both?
Is there further significance to the water that accompanied the blood that Jesus shed when He was pierced on the cross?
Maybe. If so, we must be very careful to point out that the further significance isn’t specifically explained by John who recorded it. We know from elsewhere in Scripture that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus shed His blood for the purpose of forgiveness of sins. (For more on this, don’t miss our article Why Did Jesus Have to Shed His Blood?) However, there is nothing explicit in the Bible about the necessity or symbolism of the shedding of water.
It is likely that John noted that water was expelled along with blood simply because he saw it happen. John’s inclusion of this detail in John 9:34, as he explains in verse 36, is at least in part because “these things came to pass to fulfill Scripture.” John doesn’t leave his readers to imagine or guess what these things were. He makes it explicit.
The fulfillment of the Scriptures was that:
The soldiers broke the legs of the other men being crucified. When they came to Jesus, they saw He was already dead.
Instead of breaking His legs, a soldier pierced His side to confirm that Jesus was, in fact, dead.
Both of these things, that no bone of His would be broken and that they would pierce Him, were prophecies that were fulfilled right before John’s eyes. I think this is what John took special note of. It seems that the best reason for the inclusion of water as that which came from the side of Jesus with blood was a simple observation of the important detail that Christ was pierced with the spear. To find additional significance in the water as its own thing is to go beyond what John tells us is most important.
While many may find additional meaning in the symbolism of the water and the blood, we must state simply that this significance is asserted as the opinion of the interpreter(s) and not on the basis of what John tells us in his Gospel account.
Related Questions
Why did Jesus sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane? Luke 22:44 records that Jesus’ “sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” The word like signals a potential symbolic interpretation since this is a simile. If so, Jesus did not actually sweat blood, but his sweat became like drops of blood. The most common literal answer is that Jesus suffered from the rare physical condition known as hematidrosis, which causes a person to literally sweat blood.
What does the blood and water symbolize? Some think the blood and water symbolize sacraments. This is not taught in Scripture. Instead, this idea springs from tradition and the interpretation of men. While many things have symbolic meaning, the crucifixion account is not metaphor. It is history. The blood and water that came from Christ’s side are best understood literally, not symbolically.