Note 13 at Jn. 19:37: The soldiers pierced the side of Jesus instead of the customary breaking of the legs as they did with the two thieves because Jesus was already dead (see note 12 at Jn. 19:36, above). To make sure that Jesus was dead or perhaps as a further act of brutality, they thrust a spear up through His side and into the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart) explaining why water came out of His side.