Re:Verse passage – John 19:31-37 (day six)
(This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.[a]) John 19:35
How else would we know apart from the testimony of the Apostles? All the gospel writers, but especially John, longed for us to believe. He knew, and so did Jesus, that what was required was the reliable testimony of others (John 17:20). All along the road to the cross, John wanted us to see how Jesus fulfilled the prophets, he wanted us to see that the cross was God’s plan all along, and he wanted us to see that Jesus really suffered, and really died.
It was important for John to make clear there was no way Jesus could have survived, thus the spear, and blood and water. He wanted to leave no doubt as to the outcome of the cross.
Why? Simply, so that all who read his testimony would believe that it is not a sham, but in fact it is the real deal; to those being saved the message of the cross is the power of God to save sinners (1 Corinthians 1:18).
