“My Blood of the New Covenant”
As I read the Scriptures, I have come to understand that the scene of Christ’s death was marked with the spilling of blood. How Jesus must have bled when they beat him, how his blood was spilled when they scourged Him and hammered a crown of thorns into His head. How he must have bled as they struck him on the head with a reed. And finally, the cruel nails they drove into His hands and feet to nail Him to the cross must have drawn much blood.
It must have been a scene of blood. But why did the Lord Jesus Christ have to spill His precious blood? The book of Hebrews teaches us that according to the law of Moses, the shedding of blood was required for the remission of sins (Heb 9: 22). Not even the Mosaic Covenant was dedicated without the spilling of blood! As Moses dedicated the Mosaic Covenant, he carefully took half the blood (of calves and goats) and put it in basins, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. He then took the blood from the basins and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to these words” – Exo 24: 6 – 8.
Blood on the altar of sacrifice…think of Christ on the cross. His precious blood flowing from His lacerated body and His bruised head. Think of His blood flowing from His hands and feet all over the cross. This is His blood sprinkled on the altar of sacrifice.
What about the remaining blood? Moses sprinkled it on the people. With that Moses declared that this was the “blood of the covenant”. The Lord Jesus knew exactly what He meant when He said these words,
“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” – Matt 26: 28
The blood of bulls and goats could never have taken away sins (Heb 10: 4). The practice of a blood sacrifice in the Mosaic law had only foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of the perfect lamb of God. Only the blood of Christ was sufficient for the remission of sins. This was the real deal – this was what it had all led up to! So Jesus, knowing the full implications of His words, stated that His blood was indeed the blood of the new covenant, which would be shed for the remission of sins. His blood would be sprinkled on all who came to Him in faith, and through the power of His blood, they would find the remission of sins (1 Pet 1: 2).
I wonder if along the way, we have perhaps lost the wonder of it all. How precious is the blood of Christ! The pain He suffered with every blow, and the stripes He bore, and the cruel cross as the altar of sacrifice. The price that the Lord Jesus paid for the remission of our sins was His blood – a price that is far too high to be taken for granted!
This Good Friday, I hope that you will take some time to ponder over how much the Lord Jesus loves us. He loves us to the very end. If someday you ever find yourself in doubt as to whether the Lord Jesus loves you, ask Him again, “How much do You love me?” Then remember that He once stretched out His hands and spilled his blood on a cruel cross for you, and let His love fill your heart all over again.