The blood of Jesus never fails
So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
Hebrews 9:11-12 (NLT)
‘Jesus’ blood never fails me’ are the words in a contemporary Christian song1 but what does the blood of Jesus mean? To talk of the blood of Jesus can seem more appropriate to the script of a gory horror film than to the lyrics of a song we might sing in polite company at a church meeting. It can seem repulsive and barbaric.
Nevertheless, the Bible frequently speaks of the blood of Jesus. In addition to our header scripture the apostle John tells us that ‘…the blood of Jesus…cleanses us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7), and ‘…All glory to him [Jesus] who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.’ (Revelation 1:5). Jesus himself, when introducing the Communion ‘…took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them [the disciples] and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many…” ’ (Matthew 26:27-28).
So, if the Bible is not embarrassed by its references to the blood of Jesus neither should we be reticent to use the term. It’s not that there is something superstitious about Jesus’s blood; after he died, Jesus did not somehow scoop up some of his blood from the foot of the cross and present it as an offering to God. The phrase is simply a shorthand way of referring to the violent and sacrificial ending of Jesus’s life on the cross.
The blood of Jesus is a reminder of the way in which he died: Jesus laid down his life (shed his blood) out of self-sacrificial love. Through his excruciating death, he identified with our pain and suffering, mercifully forgave our sins, cleansed us of all guilt and shame, and graciously brought us peace with God, and with one another (Hebrews 2:14-18, 10:22; Ephesians 2:13-14).
The gospel message is that Jesus’s death is a full and complete sacrifice for sins that is totally sufficient for our salvation, and never needs to be repeated (Hebrews 10:11-18). In this way, the blood of Jesus never fails us, which is very good news indeed.
Prayer
Loving Father, bring us back to the cross again and again, where Jesus died and shed his blood for us. For without it, we are undone: there is no clearing of our consciences, no forgiveness of our sin and no reconciliation except for his sacrifice. Please bring us back to fix our adoring gaze on Jesus, now and forever, In Jesus’s name, Amen.
1 Jesus Blood, Delirious? Delirious.org.uk – Lyrics – Jesus Blood
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Study by: Barry Robinson About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church