The Blood — Small Stories of a Big God

But it was because of our rebellious deeds that he was pierced

and because of our sins that he was crushed.

He endured the punishment that made us completely whole,

and in his wounding we found our healing.

Like wayward sheep, we have all wandered astray.

Each of us has turned from God's paths and chosen our own way;

even so, Yahweh laid the guilt of our every sin upon him. Isaiah 53:5-6 The Passion Translation

I forget about the blood. Funny, that. I think about light and water, salt and fragrance and don’t give a thought to the blood.

Recently I had a phone interview with a woman I have never met, and as I said hello, she answered with nervous laughter and quickly apologized, explaining she needed a moment to compose herself. Moments before our call she had googled my name and came across my website for film with examples of my work. We call it a ‘reel’; it is like a resume, showing the range of our body of work. What did her in was my sizzle reel of true crime that I had directed.

She was startled by the violence and blood.

I assume she probably expected to see pastel-sweet love stories and pretty pictures since our upcoming conversation concerned writing the stories of God. Instead, she stumbled into dark scenes of kidnapping and locked trunks, a fist across a face, blood on a knife, a woman being drowned in her own bathtub. Those images were not what she expected.

I know. I like the sweet kiss at the door on the first date, the women cooking together in the kitchen, the football tossed across the lawn. Those are the best moments we all want to paint into our lives. I have spent my life capturing those moments. But sometimes, often, life is interrupted with the ugly things of the world – and the darkness is just as real as the light.

God doesn’t ignore the darkness; the evil intentions, the cutting words, the sound of wailing in the night. And so I am reminded of the blood. Especially the innocent blood shed against the backdrop of ugliness and sin. That’s the other thing we don’t think too much about – especially in our modern culture of ‘someone else’s fault’. But oh, it is there. The sin.

God tells us we all have sinned – and oddly, in this perfect solution of His, it is innocent blood that washes away the stain of sin. It has been there from the beginning of time if you are a scripture reader.

God sacrificed an animal to make clothing for Adam and Eve – and atonement - after their sin in the Garden of Eden. Their self-made clothing of leaves would not do. Abraham led his beloved son Isaac to Mount Moriah to meet with God - who provided the precious blood sacrifice at the last moment; a ram caught in the thicket. The Israelites were released from years of enslavement when the blood of an unblemished lamb was spread across the doorposts and crosspieces of their entranceways. All of this blood was symbolic of a Messiah who would shed his blood to set captives free from sin and its undeniable result: death.

Blood. It is all through the written Word of God. I need to remember this; my freedom, my life eternal had a great cost – and it was paid in blood. Blood from an innocent. Paid by a man who had nothing to do with my darkness and sin.

My friend Sharon shared that she had texted her nephew who was starting out on a journey with prayers claiming the 'blood of the lamb' over him. The next day she received a text back. She had accidentally texted the wrong number.

The stranger on the other end of the text explained he was not her nephew, but he would gladly receive her blessings, as well as the blood of the lamb.

We laughed as she told the story. And she continued, “I never thought about the blood – but once I suddenly understood it, it was so simple and powerful and profound that now I think about the blood every day.” The blood. Yes, it is disturbing. But it is very much the love story of God – and Jesus.

Question: The Hebrews were very aware of the necessary blood sacrifice required to cleanse their sin. Do you ever think about what was needed for you to be acceptable before God?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkRiYsTN7KY

Chris Tomlin - Is He Worthy? (Live)