But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and immediately came there out blood and water.
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Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
But one of the soldiers opened His side. As somewhat doubting, says S. Cyril, whether He were really dead; and if He were not, to hasten His death. For it was the duty of these soldiers to carry out the sentence, and to see that criminals were not taken away before it was certain that they were dead. S. Chrysostom adds, "To please the Jews, they lay open His side and insult Him when dead0 most evil and most atrocious wish." Some suppose that this soldier was the centurion, who cried out "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Matthew xxvii54.) But it is not likely that he who so cried out would dare to commit such an act. Nazianzen in his "Christus Patiens" suggests that he was blind, and that he then regained his sight. Many stories on this matter were collected by Barradius, which Baronius rejects as apocryphal. Here note—1. That the soldier was one of the guuard who brake the legs of the two malefactors, and would have broken Christ"s also had he been alive. But they pierced His side, to ...
There came out blood and water, which naturally could not come from a dead body. (Witham)
Hence it is, that the sacred mysteries flow; as often, therefore, as thou approachest the awful cup, approach it as if thou wert going to drink from thy Saviour's sacred side. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxxxiv. in Joan.)
The holy Fathers say, that the spouse of Jesus Christ was here taken out of his side, whilst sleeping on the cross, as Eve was from Adam's side, when he was cast asleep in Paradise.
And why did He acknowledge Himself to be the Son of man, if He had not gone through that birth which belongs to a human being? How, too, could He forgive us those sins for which we are answerable to our Maker and God? And how, again, supposing that He was not flesh, but was a man merely in appearance, could He have been crucified, and could blood and water have issued from His pierced side?
