Today's Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 2:23-3:22; Mark 14:53-72
“And not by the blood of goats and calves but by His own blood, He entered once for all into all the holy places securing eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12)
Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen. The Old Covenant was bloody. Bulls, goats, and sheep were sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people. Where there's blood, there's forgiveness.
Blood was sprinkled, splashed on the altar of God by the high priest. The sacrifice was done in the Holy of Holies, where God was to atone for the sin of the people. The more sin, the more blood was needed. There was never enough blood, because there was never an end to the sin.
God is so utterly different from us that the high priest who was doing the sacrifice first had to make a sacrifice for himself before even entering into the holy places to sacrifice for the people. Not even he was pure enough to enter the place where he had to go before God to do his work.
“The Holy Places” were the places where God was for and with His people. The Holy of Holies was where God Himself dwelt. A curtain was there for our protection, covering the entrance to this place, separating holy God from sinful men.
You can’t just casually stroll into the Holy Places, certainly not the Holy of Holies. Our sin makes us enemies of God, separating us from the God who made us. When our sins meet God’s holiness, the result is deadly for us.
What we need is a sacrifice to atone for our sins—more blood. Jesus’ death on the Cross is that sacrifice. His holy Body and Blood, shed for us make us holy for all time. For if the blood of goats and calves delivered holiness, how much more would the holy blood of the Son of God?
The New Covenant is bloody, too—but it’s only bloody once. God gave up His Son, sacrificed Him, shed His blood once for all time. By His sacrifice, the sacrifice of God Himself, all the world has been bought back from their sins and their death. His death tears down the curtain between us and God—freeing us from the Old Covenant, redeeming us from our transgressions, and giving us a new relationship with God. He’s our Father, we are His children—all because Jesus shed His blood for us on the Cross.
In His Supper, Jesus gives you the same Body and Blood that He shed for you on the Cross. The New Testament is put into your mouth. There’s no separating you and your God now! Jesus shed His blood for us—one sacrifice for all time. The happiest Lent is a bloody Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen.