I remember when I was first born-again and I thought to myself about being covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. It is true, it is the ONLY way for our sins to be forgiven of us, by a loving God. Yet a God who demands perfection, even in you and me. For a moment, please place yourself in my shoes, having worked for almost fifty years in the medical field.
I have been in the emergency rooms, and explored the awful effects of many accidents; some big while others not so much. I have held a beating human heart in my hand and have worked to force blood around the body, as a cardiovascular surgeon works feverishly to close a hole in it. I have literally been covered in blood a few times. Thus, when I consider being covered in the blood of Jesus Christ, I have a slightly different concept of that particular issue.
For a moment I would like to pause on that thought and look at something else, that in conjunction with the above has a correlation. We often, in our own ignorance or the tension of the moment, forget to see something else that is most important.
Take a few minutes and read the Word of God in Genesis 3, where in a space of a few moments God declared the death of Adam and Eve for their sinful disobedience to Him. It took only a few moments for Adam and Eve to defy God and listen to the subtle words of Satan and eat of the forbidden fruit.
Few ever come to a realization of what God was actually saying to Adam and Eve. Just Prior to Adam and Eve eating of the forbidden fruit, they were perfect human beings in every way. There was no problem with famines, droughts, disease or any other imperfection in them, but in those few moments, God declared they would die.
So then the question would be, “Would they simply fall over dead?” No! Otherwise there would be no population growth of any kind, but their life spans would diminish greatly, their lives would be filled with hardship and pain. Their offspring would deal with the same for as long as they would bear more children. In essence, they were doomed to a variety of problems, that at times would seem too great and unbearable. And it all took only a matter of moments. Simple moments in time, that changed the very nature of the universe.
Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
As Jesus walked to Golgotha, as they drove the spikes in his hands and feet, HE never once was concerned with Himself, there was NO, “It’s all about ME!” As He hung there, his hands and feet tearing, it was the weight of the sin of the world that was pulling Him down and causing His great pain and suffering, Our sin! Jesus Christ knew every single disaster and difficulty we would ever endure rested on His shoulders. His tears were for you and m! (“Why Father…won’t they listen?”)
Leviticus 17:11: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
Leviticus 17:13-14: “And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.”
Have you ever noticed, it is most difficult to get blood off of you? Get it in your clothing, you might as well throw it out, it is stained for good. Does this hit you anywhere? Stained! Now take a moment and tell me the Lord does not work in unusual ways!
The Lord knows what makes up blood and HE uses this in a myriad of ways to get our attention. There are signs everywhere of the things that He decides are worthy for you and me to learn, and this is on a daily basis. So then the question is this: “Why are we so dull-minded and ignorant of these things?”
As I stated before, I have been covered in blood a few times and it is literally a pain to get rid of it. At least a few long bathes to do so, because it gets in all the nooks and crannies. Blood is a liquid of extremely unusual properties; it literally will stick to everything. Now do you understand why the Word of God, uses the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, in the manner that it does?
Since the days of Adam and Eve, there has never been a more strange and unusual entity than blood! I say “entity” because blood is unique unto itself; there is no other entity like it in the entire universe. It is, as the Bible says, the lifeline of everything that lives.
Has it never occurred to you, that all bacteria and Viruses, attack the Blood?
Death is not just falling over dead, it can be a strung out affair, for sure! Look at cancer; it requires us to administer toxic chemicals into the blood to control it. Everything wrong with you and me can be traced back to a situation with our blood. Why do you think physicians order so many blood tests? Absolutely everything necessary is there!
One must then see all disease as blood-borne. All disease leaves a footprint in our blood, that then makes you wonder why sin is so horrible. Everything, to include our sin, leaves its mark in our blood, STDs of every sort, right up to AIDS, cancer, heart disease, all of it.
And then when we read about Jesus Christ on the cross, covering our sin with His blood, it takes on a whole different viewpoint. Blood to blood, His to ours has a totally different effect. Human blood to human blood could very well kill us, can give us a new disease and even deform us to some extent. The saving grace, the love of the Lord for you and me, is in His blood.