That was clever! My newsfeed recently reported a crime in Poland involving a man pretending to be a department store mannequin. Apparently the ambitious fellow posed in the front window and waited for the close, upon which he proceeded to help himself to jewellery, food and luxury clothes. If he had made his exit, perhaps he would be no dummy. But unfortunately greed got the better of him. He lingered, and was apprehended by local constabulary.

The Roman death squads in Jesus’ day were more vigilant than those Polish store keepers. They had ways of testing whether someone was really dead, or only just pretending. When death was by crucifixion, to confirm the demise, they thrust a spear into the region near the victim’s heart, and if what came out looked like ‘blood and water’ – a sign that the heart had stopped beating – they knew they had done their job, and the unhappy victim could be safely removed from the cross.

Jesus of course made no pretence at his crucifixion, but clearly signalled his death by saying “It is finished”, and bowing his head – not in some theatrical swoon, but because his spirit had left his body. Yet still the squad went to work, and thrust the spear, and out came the tell-tale sign. I’m humbly glad they did, because now we can be sure that our salvation has been secured and the jewels of grace acquired. And not by clever theft, but by holy right.