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"Why Blood?"
10-Apr-2011“Why Blood”
Robert M. Thompson, Pastor
Corinth Reformed Church
150 Sixteenth Avenue NW
Hickory, North Carolina 28601
828.328.6196 corinthtoday.org
(© 2011 by Robert M. Thompson. Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures quoted are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 2011 by New York International Bible Society.)
“Forgiveness is a costly thing.” (William Barclay)
Hebrews 9:15-22
April 10, 2011
Strength from day to day
I am not a big fan of blood. It’s only one of many reasons that I am not a doctor like my older brother Jim, one of my three brothers with whom I spent Thursday and Friday of this week. More on that later.
I could share several life vignettes that illustrate why I’m not a big fan of blood. One is that when my wife, Linda, was pregnant with our first child, we went to prenatal classes together. As part of the classes we had to watch a video on C-sections. The blood drained from my face and they had to stop the class to attend to me. I also became faint while Linda was in labor with that first child, our son Philip. “Honey, I need to sit down.” “You need to sit down?!?” I did pass out just after giving blood while I was in college.
The reason I start my sermon with this disclaimer is to assure you I am not preaching this message because I enjoy the subject. I am not “bloodthirsty.” Quite the opposite. When Mel Gibson’s epic film, “The Passion of the Christ” was released several years ago, I found it very difficult to watch. Unlike me, Mel Gibson has no aversion to blood – in that film or any other. For me, a sermon on blood is necessary, not desirable.
The pastors and preachers of my youth emphasized blood more than I do in my preaching. In fact, it was a point of spiritual pride – or at least distinction – that churches faithful to the gospel talked about the blood of Christ. It was the “liberal churches,” in our view, that downplayed the importance of his blood.
A song from my spiritually formative years has been playing in my head all week – “The blood that Jesus shed for me Way back on Calvary, Oh the blood that gives me strength from day to day, it shall never lose its power.” It was written recorded by Andrae Crouch and rerecorded by Clay Aiken a few years ago. One of the lines of that song is that the blood of Jesus “soothes my doubts and calms my fears; it dries all my tears.” When I think about it, I actually find those lyrics odd – that thoughts of blood would “soothe my doubts and calm my fears.”
As a preacher of the Gospel, I can’t avoid blood. The hymns we chose for this morning’s traditional service, all classics, include lyrics about blood –
- “His blood can make the sinful clean; his blood availed for me.”
- “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus?”
- “Let the water and the blood, from thy riven side which flowed, be of sin the double cure.”
Perhaps more significantly, every time we share in our most frequent symbolic ritual as Christians, as your pastor I remind you that Jesus took a glass of ordinary table wine and said to his disciples, “This is my blood, shed for you. Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
Today’s sermon title, then, reflects by design a desire to think back over the years and ask what it is about blood that is so central to the Christian message. Or is it? In short, why blood?
It is possible to talk meaningfully about what we believe without mentioning blood, but not for long. More than one-third of the books of the Bible, including 13 books of the New Testament, do not use the word “blood” at all. One book that does in a very significant way is the letter to the Hebrews, which we are studying from now through Easter and beyond.
We have now reached the part of our study of Hebrews where the subject of blood is concentrated – chapters 9 and 10. Chapter nine mentions blood 11 times. It was rather difficult to decide which paragraph to read, so we chose the section that includes the phrase, “Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Why? Why blood?
The whole concept of blood, especially blood sacrifice, feels rather primitive. It conjures up images of primitive rituals of mixing blood, discredited medical practices of bloodletting, or vampirisms we don’t wish to ponder. The association of blood with our faith makes us sometimes feel our faith is outdated.
It should go without saying that the use of “blood” in the Bible is a metaphor, a symbol. With some exceptions, believers understand that blood represents something. When we understand what blood represents, we understand why it is essential to what we believe.
Blood binds
“The first covenant was not put into effect without blood” (Hebrews 9:18).
It is true that when the Bible was written across many centuries thousands of years ago, people knew very little about blood. Less than four hundred years ago, William Harvey gave the first detailed description of how blood circulates in the body.
Some of what we have learned only in modern times about blood actually makes what the Bible teaches us about blood only more meaningful. For example, we know much more about plasma, which makes up 55% of the volume of blood, and is its primary liquid medium. Plasma carries sugars, proteins and fatty acids to the body’s cells (I wish it would carry a little less fat). Hemoglobin transports vital oxygen from the lungs to the cells of the body.
The ability of blood to bind with these nutrients and to release them at the proper place and time is one of its truly astonishing traits, something tenth grade biology students understand far better than Hippocrates, Moses or the writer of Hebrews. Yet the fact that blood binds and releases makes it such an appropriate metaphor for the biblical idea of covenant.
Every biblical covenant is associated in some way with blood. The covenant with Noah prohibited eating bloody meat as well as the shedding of human blood (Genesis 9). God’s covenant with Abraham included animal sacrifice (Genesis 15) and the blood of circumcision (Genesis 17). From the Passover sacrifice (Exodus 12) to the ordination of the priests (Exodus 29) to the sin offerings (Leviticus 8) the Mosaic covenant was blood-saturated. David’s covenant with God was altered because he had shed much blood (1 Chronicles 22).
We still speak of “blood brothers,” whether they are biological or figurative. There’s something about having blood in common that creates a connection. I spent Thursday and Friday of this past week with my three biological brothers, two older and one younger, driving, eating, sleeping, watching golf, and playing golf.
I started making a mental list of how we are different and the same. I have the most hair and the least money. (I don’t know if there’s a connection.) I am the least skilled as a golfer, but I think I’m the most tolerant. I decided the next time we get together I’m going to make a list of irritants mentioned by one or more brothers. Linda asked me if their irritability irritates me. Touché. At one point, one brother said, “Bickering makes the time go faster.” I hate bickering, but that probably means I’m too passive.
Yet for minor ways we are different, the shared genetic code in the blood that flows through our veins creates a bond that can only be described as mysterious. The night we checked into one small motel room to share two beds, I commented, “This is like having four Dads” in one room for the night, a thought that caused all of us to shudder. We are all obsessive about details, very particular about what we want to eat or drink, for example, and about our routines.
We are also all competitive. The two older brothers, now in their late fifties, actually argued about who could beat up whom. When he learned I was going to preach on blood today, my brother Jim wanted me to tell you about the final hole. The score between the two older brothers and the two younger brothers was tied. I had been driving the ball fairly well (for me) all day, but my last drive not only went off the fairway, but over the houses and into the front yard of unsuspecting course neighbor. I probably took out a pet or a car window. David didn’t do much better, and we finally had to just pick up our ball on the final hole.
Knowing I was preaching on blood, Jim sent me this e-mail last night:
Although I tried to impress upon Anna the significance of the drubbing Doug and I administered to you and David, she seemed a little underwhelmed. I also mentioned that along about hole 18 of the competition Doug and I were nearly able to give you a surly demeanor. Try to work that loss into the sermon tomorrow if you can. We were certainly "out for blood," whatever that means. Plus, you and David ended up "bloodied" during the last five-hole "bloodbath."
There’s just nothing like a blood bond among competitive brothers.
The writer of Hebrews is explaining the new covenant God has made through Jesus Christ, who is the mediator (Hebrews 9:15). He uses a word play to move back and forth between the idea of “covenant” (like a treaty) and “will” (v. 16), but it is the same word in Greek (diatheke). Covenants are sealed with blood and broken only by the death of one party. Wills are enforced only by the death of one party. As Leviticus 17:11 says, “The life of the creature is in the blood.” The release of blood is death.
The point of the metaphor is that blood binds and blood releases. Christ made possible the union of God and you. Blood is essential because of this symbolic idea that blood gives you something in common that is stronger than any other tie. That’s how deeply and profoundly God wants to be bound to you.
Blood cleanses
“The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood” (Hebrews 9:22).
The idea that blood cleanses is at first odd to me, if not downright repulsive. I think of blood as something that soils and stains, not something that cleanses.
I remember the first time, only a few years ago, that I began to get a visual in my mind of what the Jewish temple must have been like at the peak of its sacrificial practices. Hundreds, of not thousands, of animals were being slaughtered every day. Some were burned to the point of what we would call cremation. Others were cooked for consumption – we might call that grilling or barbecuing.
All of them had to have the blood drained. It was the law, and it still is Jewish custom. (It is, in fact, one of the characteristics that makes Jews different. That’s the point. Jewish thought is that whatever causes you to stand out from your Gentile friends is a good thing. If they don’t want to socialize with you because you won’t eat lobster or rare beef, that’s a good result. Intermarriage is less likely, keeping the bloodline pure and ensuring survival of the race.[1])
Back to that temple scene. I first imagined that the area around the temple must have had a terrible stench to it, with pools of blood all around the altar. Then I learned that it was constructed with a rather elaborate system of troughs and ducts to allow the blood to be washed outside the city. Still, I wouldn’t want to be there either.
My point is that the idea of blood cleansing anything is odd to me – until I think about the function of human blood in the body. It not only supplies nutrients; it removes carbon dioxide and other waste products from my cells. Blood also removes excess fluid. Blood, indeed, cleanses. That’s not an ancient idea – it’s a very modern one.
Once again, blood becomes a most appropriate metaphor for what Jesus did. The toxic poisons deeply ingrained in my fallen nature – pride, greed, and lust – are as unavoidable in my heart as carbon dioxide, viruses, and bacterial infections are to the body. The blood of Jesus not only releases us from the penalty of those spiritual toxins, but cleanses us from their power.
How? When someone sacrifices self for you, are you not changed? Maybe it’s your spouse doing a chore that’s normally “your job.” Or perhaps a stranger putting his life on the line to save yours. Either way, someone else’s sacrificial love alters you and calls for a response of gratitude, loyalty, and a return favor of some kind. When I think of what Jesus did for me, how he gave his blood to cleanse me from sin, I cannot live the same life focused on me. I belong to him.
Blood costs
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).
Almost since the day Jesus shed his blood on the cross, Christians have been debating what his death means. Was he pacifying the wrath of God? Was he showing his power over sin and death? Was he simply providing an example of how to live and die? Yes to all of those.
As usual, we are more interested in a consistent, logical explanation than the Bible is. But here’s how the writer of Hebrews summarizes the underlying principle between the animal sacrifices under the Law and Jesus’ death: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
That’s an astounding statement. You mean even God can’t forgive without shedding blood?
I don’t want to limit what God can do or whether God could have designed another way to forgive. What the writer is saying is that God himself has written the rules, and the shedding of blood is essential to forgiveness.
William Barclay summarized this “underlying principle” best in his commentary on Hebrews. The point the writer is trying to make is this: “Forgiveness is a costly thing.” (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 128). Forgiveness costs.
We tend to believe one of two opposite errors about forgiveness, sometimes vacillating back and forth between the two –
- Forgiveness is impossible.
- Forgiveness is easy.
Consider a parallel with one of the most, if not the most, egregious violations of the covenant of marriage – adultery. Some offended partners walk away impulsively, assuming the breach in their dam of security, affection, and attraction is permanent. “How can I love you anymore the way I feel now?” Others try to act as if nothing’s changed. “I forgive you” becomes a desperate attempt to hold on to what they never had, or perhaps a denial of their own grief and pain.
Forgiveness in any close human relationship is pricey. The greater the grievance, the more costly the forgiveness. The longer the duration of sin, the more time required for true restoration. Betrayal results in loss of trust, hope, and intimacy. You can give up your right to hurt back, but restoring the relationship costs a great deal of effort and persistence.
William Barclay is right when he says, “Sin must have its punishment, or the very structure of life disintegrates. And God alone can pay the terrible price that is necessary before we can be forgiven. Forgiveness is never a case of saying: ‘it’s all right; it doesn’t matter.’ It is the most costly thing in the world. Without the shedding of the heart’s blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. Nothing brings people to their sense with such arresting violence as seeing the effect of their sin on someone who loves them in this world or on the God who loves them forever, and to say to themselves, ‘It cost that to forgive my sin.’ Where there is forgiveness, someone must be crucified.”
We talk about donating blood, but blood is not free. Giving blood is not free – it costs time and energy and requires a certain risk. We give of ourselves when we give blood. We require of our body extra effort to replace that blood.
But giving blood at the Red Crossmobile is not what it’s in view here. Jewish law requires that kosher meat only come from an animal properly slaughtered at the jugular artery so that the maximum blood drains out of the animal. This isn’t about giving a little blood – this is about giving all of it, giving up life itself.
Palm Sunday
We are heading into the home stretch of Lent. Next week is Palm Sunday, and we will share in the sacrament of Holy Communion in all three of our worship services here at Corinth. Then comes a final week of preparation for Easter.
We are far too careless in our preparation for Easter. We are far too careless in our preparation each time we share the Lord’s Supper. Our forebears used to gather on Saturday night for a “Preparatory Service” before they shared communion.
Our hymnal includes that “Preparatory Service,” which I am adding to the end of my sermon manuscript. It begins with the Ten Commandments, heightening awareness of how we have violated God’s Law. It continues with prayers, then an exhortation about the meaning of communion and the longest confession printed in our hymnal. If you are reading this manuscript leading up to Palm Sunday, use this as a devotional guide to prepare you for tasting the blood of Christ.
THE PREPARATORY SERVICE
*The Solemn Declaration
Pastor: The LORD is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him. (Habakkuk 2:20, NIV)
People: Amen.
*The Ten Commandments Exodus 20:1-17(NIV)
And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
*The Response
People: Lord, have mercy on us, and incline our hearts to keep all these laws.
Pastor: Hear also what our Lord Jesus Christ says, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)
*The Prayer
Pastor: Let us pray. O Lord God, who first delivered your commandments from the mountain that burned with fire, we thank you that this same law now comes to us from the Mediator of a new and better covenant - our Lord Jesus Christ. We humbly ask you to put these words into our minds, and to write them on our hearts, that we may delight in your law and serve you in newness of spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
The Litany
Pastor: O God, our Father in heaven,
People: Have mercy on us.
Pastor: O God, the Son, the Redeemer of the world,
People: Have mercy on us.
Pastor: O God, the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful,
People: Have mercy on us.
Pastor: O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, ever one God,
People: Have mercy on us.
Pastor: Lord, do not remember our sins or the sins of our ancestors; spare your people whom you have redeemed by your precious blood.
People: Spare us, good Lord.
Pastor: From all blindness of heart; from pride, vanity and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; from lack of love,
People: Good Lord, deliver us.
Pastor: From all impure lusts and desires; from all the deceits of the world, the flesh and the devil,
People: Good Lord, deliver us.
Pastor: From natural disasters, wars, terrorism and violent death,
People: Good Lord, deliver us.
Pastor: From treason and rebellion, from heresy and schism, from hardness of heart, from contempt of your Word and authority,
People: Good Lord, deliver us.
Pastor: By the mystery of your incarnation; by the holiness of your birth; by your baptism, temptation and ministry,
People: Good Lord, deliver us.
Pastor: By your agonizing suffering, death, and burial; by your glorious resurrection, ascension and return; by the coming of the Holy Spirit,
People: Good Lord, deliver us.
Pastor: In the moment of trial; in the time of wealth; in the hour of death; in the day of judgment,
People: Good Lord, deliver us.
Pastor: We who are sinners ask you to hear us, O Lord God. Govern and direct your universal church.
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Rule the hearts of your servants, the President of the United States, the Governor of this state, and all others in authority, that law and order may prevail everywhere.
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Bless the rulers of all lands, giving them grace to execute justice and maintain truth.
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Bless and protect all who serve humanity by labor, industry and education.
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Give all nations unity, peace and harmony.
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Keep us in all time of temptation and heartache; comfort and help those who are weak; raise up those who fall; beat down Satan under our feet,
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Help and comfort all who are in danger and trouble; preserve mothers in the risks of childbearing; heal those who are sick; protect those who are young; show mercy on those in prison,
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Defend and provide for all children, for the homeless, for those who are alone, for all who are oppressed and needy,
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: Have mercy on all people,
People: We ask you to hear us, good Lord.
Pastor: O Son of God, Redeemer of the world,
People: Have mercy on us.
Pastor: O Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
People: Have mercy on us.
Pastor: O Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
People: Have mercy on us.
The Prayer for Protection
Pastor: O God, merciful Father, who does not despise the sighs of the contrite nor reject the desire of the sorrowful, respond to our prayers which we bring to you out of our continual pain and confusion; graciously hear them, that the evil schemes of the devil and of humanity may come to nothing because of your goodness, so that even when we are persecuted we may always give thanks to you in your holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
Pastor: O God, from whom all holiness, counsel and justice come, give to your servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may obey your commandments, and also that we may live our lives in godliness and holiness because of your protection through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.
The Exhortation
Pastor: Dear friends in Christ, the night before our blessed Savior Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for our sins, he instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion to be the ongoing memorial of his death, the seal of his constant presence in the Church by his Holy Spirit, the mystery of his offering for sin, accomplished once and for all on the cross, the promise of his unfailing love, and the bond of his fellowship with us forever.
The celebration of the Lord’s Supper is the holy of holies for Christians. We are dealing not just with symbols, but with the realities those symbols represent - the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Because of this profound truth, it is obvious that the Lord’s Table is not for everyone. It is not for those who are worldly, irreverent, indifferent, impenitent, unbelieving, or disobedient to the law of God and the gospel of Christ. It is for those who believe in Jesus Christ and demonstrate that faith by turning from sin and living a life devoted to Christ.
If any of you are aware that you have not turned to Christ in repentance and faith, or have made yourselves the willing servants of sin, or have yielded yourselves to the power of worldly desires and lusts, I warn you to avoid taking of Holy Communion in that condition. The Scripture says that those who eat and drink from this Table without faith eat and drink judgment to themselves - not because they are sinners (we all are), but because they are impenitent sinners; not because they are unworthy (we all are), but because they eat and drink unworthily without recognizing the reality of Christ’s body and blood.
On the other hand, we cordially invite to this table all who are truly grieved and sorry for their sins, who look to the Lord Jesus Christ to make them right with God and give them salvation, who have joined the fellowship of his Church, and who sincerely long to please Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit. To all in that state, the loving Savior says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NIV)
Dear friends in Christ, if you have examined your heart and find these qualities of sorrow for sin and genuine faith in Jesus Christ, if you intend to forsake all sin and follow the way of Christian holiness, then let us together approach God’s throne of grace and confess our sins humbly to God.
The Confession of Sin
All: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all people, we throw ourselves at your feet with deep humility and sincere grief, because of our many sins. We have sinned against you in thought, word and deed. We have broken your holy laws. We have come short of your righteousness and glory. You are righteous; we are only confused. You are a God of mercy and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against you. You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, full of mercy to all who call on you. Look on us, holy Father, with pity and compassion as we humble ourselves with sincere confession before the throne of your grace. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, assure us of your forgiveness and peace. Let your mercy come to us as we hope in you. And as you give us pardon, give us also help to do what is right. May your Spirit strengthen us to walk worthy of your calling, and to serve and please you from now on in a new way of life, to the honor and glory of your holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pastor: I ask you now in the presence of God, and on the evidence of your conscience: do you acknowledge and deplore your many sins with a sorrowful heart?
People: I do.
Pastor: Do you believe that our heavenly Father is willing, for Jesus’ sake, to forgive all your sins?
People: I do.
Pastor: Do you resolve to submit yourself in the future to the gracious direction of the Holy Spirit, so that you may no more purposely sin, but allow him to help you follow after holiness?
People: I do.
Pastor: Listen now to the comforting assurance of God’s grace, promised in the Word of God to all who turn from their sins and believe: “‘As surely as I live’, declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.’” (Ezekiel 33:11, NIV) “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV) Dear friends, if you have truly turned from your sins and have sincerely placed your faith in Jesus Christ, I have good news! God forgives your sins according to his promise in the Gospel, through Jesus Christ our Lord. People: Amen.
*The Doxology
*The Benediction Hebrews 13:20-21, NIV
Pastor: May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.
People: Amen.
