Reaching Higher #86
- Part 1
You could choose not to read this. It's not very nice really, and we Westerners tend to strongly protect ourselves from everything 'bad'. But you need to read it! Blood's a quite strong word, isn't it! And we seem to have two basic thoughts about it - one good and one bad. The good we actually don't think a lot about, i.e., the red liquid of life constantly flowing round our body carrying ALL that we need to energise every part of our mortal frame, and bringing back what's unwanted to be got rid of. God made it all that way, and it IS good!!
The bad is what we think more about. An accidental cut with a knife, a serious accident, even a nose bleed. All of these we know are bad, some really BAD!! So blood inside is fine; but blood outside certainly is NOT! And because of outside being bad, we basically do NOT like seeing, touching, even thinking of the red blood of life. But concerning our sin getting forgiven and taken away, we have no choice whatsoever!!! BLOOD was/is a major part of this!!
From the moment He allowed Himself to be arrested, Jesus knew that concerning His Royal blood coursing strongly through his veins, for him it was very soon going to be bad, BAD, BAD, BAD!! He KNEW!! This was a MAJOR part of what His flesh was cringing from in the Garden. HOW could He go through the pain, the agony? Not just the physical, but the Spiritual - God TOTALLY placing upon Him all the filth of every one of our sins!!! We sin so easily and readily, failing to recall that that actual sin was borne by Him to save us.
And He KNEW how much blood He was going to lose. He knew the Scriptures better than any of us ever will. He was a Jew and fully familiar with the Law and ALL of its blood sacrifices. He learnt from a very early age that without blood being shed (flowing and lost) there could be NO remission and forgiveness of sin. And He was about to literally LIVE this out - then DIE from it.
Mostly we're not all that aware of just how much of His blood He really lost. From beginning to end it was a literal blood bath. He kept on leaving some of His blood behind at each major point. The worst of all (prior to the Cross) was: and when he (Pilate) had scourged Him, he delivered Him to be crucified. Matthew Ch 27:26. Jesus lost flesh and lots of blood when his back was ripped to shreds by the horrific scourging. Most didn't survive this to even get to crucifixion. Jesus did.
Then they platted the crown of thorns to put on His head, so more blood spilt. They put a staff in His hand, spat on Him, mocked Him, and hit Him on the head where the crown of thorns was. More blood gone. He was made to carry the crossbar of the Cross. But His shoulders and back were torn to bits by the scourging whip. More blood. Finally at Golgotha, wrist (hands) nailed to the crossbar, it raised onto the upright post, and his feet nailed to it. Every action ensured that blood was spilt, and whilst on the cross the blood loss continued.
I read where someone said Jesus died because he had no blood left. I can't agree, but what a pertinent point! HOW He survived as long as He did from losing all that blood - FOR US!!! - is utterly beyond me!! Hanging on the Cross, about at the end of what He could manage, His Father then placed upon Him ALL of the sin of all people of all time - including YOURS and MINE. It had to be. He had to die, not just from losing all that blood, but from paying the FULL PRICE that was demanded for our sin to be forgiven.
He cried out, "My Father where are You? Why have You gone away?" SIN SEPARATES! And at that moment Jesus was experiencing the FULL HORROR of HELL - in our place, instead of us. The perfect, sinless Son of God in the depths of hell, suffering what you and I should suffer forever after our death. Such love is beyond the bounds of our ability to take in and understand. He didn't HAVE to experience all of his. But His love for you and me and the Father's love for you and me said that it was totally essential!!
Finally a cry of triumph: "It is finished!" He had done it. Shed His blood for the remission of sin, taken our sin upon Himself, atoned for all of our sin we ever commit, and paid the full price so we could go free!! The task that had been waiting to be accomplished since Adam and Eve first sinned was DONE!! And He died!!
But death could NOT hold the Son of Almighty God. The mighty power of the Father raised Him up from the dead the third day, to prove, if you like, that it had all been done AND completed!! Soon He would ascend back to His Father, there to be SEATED in the place of honour and glory at God's right hand.
Jesus' crucifixion was the Day of Blood. Of Shed Blood. And that blood succeeded in redeeming and saving you and me. Pause right now and plead with God to reveal more of this to you than you've ever seen before!!
Continued in Part 2, "Hallelujah!! He is Risen!! ...
- BM, with his Lady
