THE WONDER OF RE-BIRTH

The Wonder of Being Born Again

At the moment one of the soldiers pierced the side of Jesus, blood and water immediately came out. A birth always starts with the releasing of blood and water. When the blood and water flowed out of Jesus’ body, it was the start of your re-birth. On the Cross Jesus brought forth a new generation of children of God. He was not only the Lamb of God which took away the sins of the world. He was like a mother, who gave life to a new person.

The Greek word for ‘side’ is pleura and also means rib. The spear in Jesus’ side reminds us of Genesis where it says that God created a new person (Eve) out of the rib of Adam⁷⁸. In the same way God created a new person out of Jesus! You are born again from the place in His side, where Jesus was pierced; a kind of womb as it were. It is remarkable that Jesus – just before His death – spoke of a woman who is having contractions and is sad that her time has come to give birth. But once the child has arrived, she no longer thinks of her pain, because she is glad that she has brought forth a new person into the world⁷⁹.

Through the wonder of the Cross a whole new humanity was born out of Jesus. Without the Cross, the wonder of re-birth would never have been able to take place in your life. The wonder of the Cross brings forth a whole new creation: ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new’⁸⁰.