John maintained that Jesus is the Son of God who came by water and blood διʼ ὕδατος καὶ αἵματος. He emphasizes that it was not just the water, but with the water and the blood ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐν τῷ αἵματι (1 John 5:6). What does he mean? Jesus, the Son of God, came by/with the water and the blood. Does John refer to the scene of the piercing of the side of Jesus at crucifixion (John 19:34-35)? Why were water and blood so important for John and his community?
John said that there are three witnesses, not just 2: the Spirit, which is the truth (1 John 5:7), the water and the blood, and these three agree (1 John 5:8). So, according to John, the water and the blood are witnesses to some crucial moments in the life of Jesus. In these moments, Jesus' identity as the Son of God is demonstrated.
Was it his baptism? No, because no blood was involved. Was it his transfiguration? No, there was neither blood nor water. But in both occasions, the voice from heaven bore witnesses that Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father. However, this is not the case in the gospel of John. The Baptist, rather than the voice from heaven, said that Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:34). Obviously, here we are dealing with a Johannine tradition which is different from the traditions from the other communities. Moreover, the Johannine community did not hand down any account of the Transfiguration. Therefore, the author of 1 John did not have the baptism of Jesus in mind to demonstrate the Son of God identity.
Now, let's turn to the passion scene. There were water and blood, which in John's framework, bore witnesses to Jesus. But to which aspect of Jesus? On the surface, we can safely hypothesize that it was the humanity of Jesus. The water and the blood were visible. They bore witness to the humanity of Jesus. Jesus had surely died to clean us of our sins.
But John would not be satisfied with just the humanity of Jesus! The divinity of Jesus was always in his mind. However, in Jesus' death scene, in the darkest moment of known human history, no voice came down from heaven, like baptism or transfiguration. The Father was nowhere to be found. If the Father was not there, would the Holy Spirit do the job instead?
What did the Spirit bear witness to Jesus?
Unlike the brevity of the Synoptic gospels (less than half a verse), John records the Baptist's witness that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit in a more elaborate manner (John 1:29-34) There, not only was Jesus' identity as the Son of God highlighted, but also that of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου (John 1:29). It is interesting to see that 'the sin' is singular.
So, in John's tradition, the Holy Spirit, not the Father, bore witness to the divinity of Jesus in the baptism scene. It will be interesting to find out the whereabout of the Holy Spirit in the Passion scene.
For the time being, to keep this daily reflection simple, it is easier to handle 1 John 5:8 as if it refers to different moments in Jesus' life --- his baptism where the Holy Spirit bore witness to his divinity and his passion where the water and the blood bore witness to his humanity. If we can locate the Holy Spirit in the Passion scene, we can even do away with the baptism as well!
Does the passion scene tell us that Jesus is the Son of God? In Luke, it is very explicit. Jesus prayed for those who nailed him. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Jesus uttered this prayer with his last breath. "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" (Luke 23:46).
Unluckily, there is no such records in the tradition of the Johannine community. Jesus was still the son of Mary (John 19:26). The details of his Passion fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament:
- division of his garment (Psalm 22:18)
- drinking of vinegar (Psalm 69:21)
- not a bone shall be broken (Psalm 34:20)
- look on him who was pierced (Zechariah 12:10)
In Old Testament thoughts, the term 'the son(s) of God' usually refers to angels. Later, it refers to kings who are adopted at the enthronement ceremony by God as sons to rule the people, but never as the Son of God as understood in New Testament theology. However, it was possible that John wanted to enrich and extend the scope of meaning of the son of God by applying these psalms and Zechariah prophecy to the details in Jesus' passion. (Am I guilty of anachronism, for projecting present day understanding back to ancient writers?)
In sum, the passion narratives of the gospels have demonstrated not only the humanity but also the divinity of Jesus as well. Jesus, the Son of God as well as the Lamb of God, is truly human and has truly died on the cross to save us.
Back to 1 John 5:8. The author was referring to the passion scene where water & blood had demonstrated the humanity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, through the psalms and prophecy it inspired, bore witness to Jesus' divinity. What is more, the author claims that these 3 witnesses agree! It is NOT contradictory to combine the divinity of Jesus with his humanity. The divine God is capable of suffering and death.
What a mystery! The Holy Spirit told us that Jesus is divine (the Son of God). This is not only shown in the miracles he had worked, but also in his bleeding, in his death! Jesus is God who bled, who died and had overcome death in order to bring eternal life to whoever put their faith in him. Halleluia!
This is a huge topic and I'm afraid I did not treat it proficiently enough.
Today, I attended the CEO E&RS panel heads meeting. I belong to the Curriculum Unit. I find that the members are young and energetic. I am deeply impressed and congratulate the schools they are working in. On the other hand, I feel more unfulfilled in my present situation.
My God, help me open up. Energize me with Your Holy Spirit so that in my remaining years, I may bring Jesus into the lives of my students, that they may also receive Your Holy Spirit and eternal life. Amen.
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