Christ’s Blood Cleanses Us of Sin  

It happened suddenly as I was helping get all the elements prepared for Communion to be served in our worship service last Sunday. As I was pouring the grape juice from a larger cup into the tiny communion cups, the container I was holding slipped out of my hand. As it banged against the countertop, the juice catapulted into the air with some of it splattering on me as well as on the trays we use when we participate in this sacrament of the church. Thankfully, with the help of others, everything got cleaned up and we were back on track again. I was grateful I was wearing a shirt and tie of such a color that the stains didn’t show up. I could imagine myself walking into the sanctuary with purple dots all over me. However, my nose suggested that I still may have smelled like I had used a grape-scented cologne that day.

   While the spilling of the juice that represents Jesus’ blood was accidental, it reminded me of how Christ purposefully spilled His blood for us. What He suffered was no accident. Neither was He simply the victim of the evil intentions of others. Jesus was the good Shepherd who willingly laid down His life for His sheep (see John 10:11-18). He was our great High Priest who didn’t offer animal sacrifices but who sacrificed Himself for our sins.

I am glad I wasn’t a priest back in Old Testament times. I don’t think I would have enjoyed participating in all that was involved in the slaughtering of animals as part of their sacrificial worship. If I can make a mess with grape juice, I can imagine how much worse it could be with blood. Gratefully, Jesus came to fulfill what those sacrificial offerings all pointed toward and represented. Therefore they are no longer necessary. “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28).

As the blood of those sacrificed animals was sprinkled on various objects and individuals to indicate a ceremonially cleansing, there is a sense in which Christ’s blood is sprinkled on us to wash us of sin. “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:7, 9). Hopefully, the fragrant scent of His precious blood rests on us as we have put our trust in Him as our Savior.

However, even as significant as that event was, it is not the end of the story. This weekend we remember not only Jesus’ death but also His resurrection. These two epochal events are inseparably linked. Jesus’ resurrection validates His identity as the Son of God and the purpose of His death. He is not only the High Priest who offered His own blood, but now He is our living representative and intercessor before His heavenly Father. “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25). Part of the good news of Easter is that we aren’t simply honoring a dead hero who sacrificed His life for us. We are worshiping a living Savior who is still ministering on our behalf before His Father in heaven.

So as we especially remember Jesus’ death and resurrection this weekend, be thankful for His blood that was spilled for you. Be sure you are experiencing both the forgiveness and the cleansing which it provides. And rejoice that your Savior who died for you still lives and ministers today.