The Blood of Christ

The little lamb sat in the lap of his master as they slowly rode towards Jerusalem. He had never been so far away from home before, and this was quite an exciting trip. Looking up at his master – a strong farmer of about thirty – he wondered what was going to happen there. On his master’s face was a furrowed brow, but a look of expectancy. The little lamb let out a little noise, causing the farmer to look down. “Easy there,” he whispered. “All will be well.”

Eventually, they reached Jerusalem, and there was such a crowd! It frightened the little lamb how many people and animals there were. What a day this must be – it seemed all Israel was there! Slowly, they approached an ornate building, where there was a procession of people holding or leading various animals.

The farmer, with his family, walked towards what they called “The Temple.” The little lamb, now being carried in the arms of the farmer, entered into the outer court, where a priest stood. Handing over the little lamb to the priest, the farmer stepped back. The priest held the lamb tenderly, and held out a knife.

Now the little lamb knew his purpose. He had heard often of the Lord God of Israel, and how He requested blood as atonement for something called sin. The little lamb, closing his eyes, stretched out his neck, and prepared to die.

And that day, which was the Day of Atonement, the Brook Kidron ran red with the blood of the sacrifices.

Blood: it’s not something we tend to enjoy meditating on. Typically, we avoid the thought of it and the sight of it, unless there is a need to see it. Because of that, we tend to imagine the cross as a very neat and orderly event, and we forget the importance of the blood that was spilt that day.

This was no ordinary man’s blood; this was the blood of the Lamb of God.

1 Peter 2:24 reads, “Who in his own self (Christ) bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.” The blood of Jesus is no small thing. You see in the culmination of Christ’s life in the cross, that as He gave up His spirit to God, the temple veil rent in two, from top to bottom. There was now a way for man to enter into the very presence of the Most High God.

In the Old Testament, very seldom did anyone enter into the presence of God. In fact, it was only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, that the High Priest would enter into the presence of God. They would actually sprinkle the blood of bulls upon the mercy seat – the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, where God Himself sat.

Tradition says that they would tie a rope around the ankle of the High Priest when he would enter into the Holy of Holies, because if he had a single spot of sin upon him, he would fall over dead. Some also say that, if the High Priest had sin in him, the entire universe would be destroyed.

So often, we forget how holy our God is. We cannot simply stroll into the Holy of Holies. You need more than your own merit to enter into the presence of God.
Romans 5:11 tells us, “… we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received atonement.” No longer do we need the blood of lambs and bulls to enter into His presence; we have the precious blood of Christ. Only by His merit, His perfection, and His blood are we able to enter into the presence of God. His blood covers out sins, and makes us spotless and pure.

However, this precious blood isn’t a license to sin and live however we want. The purpose of getting us into the throne room of God is so that the righteousness of God can come into us and change us. As we cover ourselves in the blood and righteousness of Christ Jesus, His righteousness enters us and begins forming true righteousness in us. He draws us in so that He can enter us, and show us all the marvelous possessions He bought for us on Calvary: peace, love, hope, joy, and much more than we can think or imagine.

Never can we remove the blood from our lives. It is the only way to enter into the presence of God, and without it, we are separated. But when we wrap ourselves in His blood, we can enter in and commune with God. What a beautiful reality.

Take hold of the blood of Jesus today and never let go.