The One Who Came By Water and Blood

Adapted from Sunday Sermon

1 John 5:6
This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

 요한1서 5장 6절
 이는 물과 피로 임하신 자니 곧 예수 그리스도시라 물로만 아니요 물과 피로 임하셨고

When I was a four-year-old living up in Michigan, I went to an immigrant Korean church in East Lansing, where most of the church members were international students studying for their graduate degrees. When Christmas came, the church would make a big effort to impress the multitude of children with decorations, presents, fun activities, and of course the appearance of Santa Claus. Back then, Christmas meant the celebration of Santa. At that age, I had trouble figuring out the true meaning of Christmas. What did Santa, angels, Rudolf, shepherds, and 'jingle bells' all celebrate?

Then one Christmas I asked my father why we celebrated this holiday. He told me that the fancy events and activities were there to help us celebrate the birth of Christ, the Son of God. I still didn't fully understand what he meant. After a few years passed, I came to understand the reason during 2nd grade. This realization came while playing the role of a shepherd during a Christmas play. The lights were all turned down and all the participants had candles lit to their face. At the center of the stage was baby Jesus. The spotlight was on Him. Every eye whether it was the actors or audience was upon this baby boy. It finally made sense, he was the reason for Christmas.

Today, we come upon a text that reminds us why we celebrate Christmas. The Apostle John shows us the means in which Jesus came into this world. Jesus Christ came by water and by blood. The water symbolizes the baptism of Jesus, in which he was declared the Son of God, commissioned and empowered. The blood symbolizes the eventual death on the cross, where he finished the work for all of humanity. In a sense, John summed up Jesus' earthly ministry through these two symbols. He reminds us today, the reason Jesus had to be born, the reason God chose to send Him into this fallen world, and the reason for Christmas.

When I stumbled upon this text during my reading of 1 John, I was puzzled and perplexed. Why would he include such things so abruptly? Why did he also add and say that the Spirit, the water, and the blood all testify about Jesus Christ? How do the water and blood testify about Jesus? After much thought and prayer, I remembered the two events in scripture. The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of his ministry. All four authors of the Gospels place it at the beginning of their work. In this familiar scene, God's voice comes from heaven with the words, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17) 마태복음 3장 17 "절 하늘로서 소리가 있어 말씀하시되 이는 내 사랑하는 아들이요 내 기뻐하는 자라 하시니라." God uses these same words His testimony to mankind is clear and direct. The baptism of Jesus testifies to us the divine-humanity of Jesus Christ. He is both God and man.

The crucifixion of Jesus finalizes the work that he came to do. At the moment of his death, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open (Mt 27:51-52). 마태복음 27장 51 "이에 성소 휘장이 위로부터 아래까지 찢어져 둘이 되고 땅이 진동하며 바위가 터지고 52 무덤들이 열리며 자던 성도의 몸이 많이 일어나되" Who did this? Who else could it be but God, testifying about his Son. Perhaps not many noticed it. But the Scriptures include the centurion who saw the earthquake and all that had happened...and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Mt 7:54) 마태복음 27장 54절 "백부장과 및 함께 예수를 지키던 자들이 지진과 그 되는 일들을 보고 심히 두려워하여 가로되 이는 진실로 하나님의 아들이었도다 하더라."

During Christmas we recount God's witness to the shepherds through the angels, the wise men through the star over Bethlehem, and Mary through the angel Gabriel. We see that God repeatedly testifies about his Son. The baptism and crucifixion of Jesus are no different from these events. John reminds us today why Jesus had to be born to a virgin Mary. He reminds us why he had to be human and God from birth until death. Jesus, who is God, came to this earth to take human form. Without this incarnation, there would be no shedding of blood. Without the shedding of blood, there would be no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22). 히브리서 9장 22 절 "율법을 좇아 거의 모든 물건이 피로써 정결케 되나니 피흘림이 없은즉 사함이 없느니라."

The importance of these two historical witnesses cannot be ignored this Christmas. Jesus Christ, fully human and yet fully God, came by the water and by the blood. Water to symbolize the 'pure water to cleanse us from all pollution' and blood to symbolize the 'precious blood to atone for all guilt.' When Jesus came into the little town of Bethlehem, he did so because he wanted to fulfill these two goals. The one who came was Jesus Christ, one person who was always from his birth to his death and forevermore both the man Jesus and the Christ of God. Today when we celebrate Christmas, let us not only celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but the reason he came: to purify and to redeem us.