John 19:34-37 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And forthwith, &c.— Whether this was, as Dr. Drake and several others suppose, the small quantity of water inclosed in the pericardium, in which the heart swims, or whether the cruor was now almost coagulated, and separated from the serum; either way it was an indisputable proof of Christ's death. For the issuing of blood and water, not only shews that Jesus had been some time dead; but had he not been dead, this wound was of such a kind, as he could not have survived. And therefore, as it was of the greatest importance to mankind, to be ascertained of the truth of Christ's death, when St. John relates the circumstance which demonstrates it, he insists upon it particularly; and mentions it, not only as a thing which himself saw, but as the completion of a remarkable prophesy. See on Zechariah 12:10. Our Lord's legs too were not broken, that the scripture might be fulfilled, Exodus 12:46 where the words were primarily spoken of the paschal lamb, whose bones were not to be broken, that it might be a fit representation of the Messiah, typified by this sacrifice; and who, though he was to suffer a violent death, was to have none of his bones broken. Wherefore, as the scripture which speaks of the type, has necessarily a reference to the antitype, St. John had good reason to interpret what is there said of the paschal lamb, as prophetical of this circumstance of our Lord's death; and the rather as by so doing he makes his readers sensible, that it was not by accident that the soldiers treated Christ's body otherwise than they treated the bodies of those who were crucified with him: it happened by the direction of God, who had always determined that Christ's divine mission should be fully demonstrated by the evidence of miracles and prophesies united.