The Blood of the Lamb of God

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:30 am Post subject: The Blood of the Lamb of God

The Blood of the Lamb of God

Scripture:

So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice: We will do all the words of the Lord, which he has spoken. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord: and rising in the morning, he built an altar at the foot of the mount, and twelve titles according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, and they offered holocausts, and sacrificed pacific victims of calves to the Lord. Then Moses took half of the blood, and put it into bowls; and the rest he poured upon the altar. And taking the book of the covenant, he read it in the hearing of the people: and they said: All things that the Lord has spoken, we will do, we will be obedient. And he took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people, and he said: This is the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words. ( Exodus 24:3-8 )

But Christ, being come a high Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hand, that is, not of this creation: Neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by his own blood, entered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer, being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who by the Holy Spirit offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God? And therefore he is the mediator of the new testament: that by means of his death for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, they that are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance. ( Hebrew 9:11-15 )

Now on the first day of the unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, the disciples say to him: Whither will you that we go and prepare for You to eat the Passover meal? And he sends two of his disciples and said to them: Go into the city; and there you shall meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and wheresoever he shall go in, say to the master of the house, The master said, Where is my refectory, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large dining room furnished. And there prepare it for us. And his disciples went their way and came into the city. And they found as he had told them: and they prepared the Passover.

And while they were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing, broke and gave to them and said: Take it. This is my body. And having taken the chalice, giving thanks, he gave it to them. And they all drank of it. And he said to them: This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many. Amen I say to you that I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until that day when I shall drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went forth to the mount of Olives. ( Mark 14:12-16, 22-26)

Reflection:

And so the Word was shared and the children of His creation responded. A covenant was made with the chosen people and the covenant was sealed with blood. The Word He shared was so the children of His creation would live in love of their Creator and care for one another. The commandments He gave to follow were not given to enslave, but to free the people of the bonds of evil and the emptiness of selfishness.

The chosen children responded that they would follow His ways and many sought to turn from sin. Blessed were those who understood the blessings of His love and found the blessings of His Word. Through the trial of time, some would remain faithful, but others would fall to the ways of the deceptions of evil and the ways of the world. Some would understand the blessings of the covenant, but others would be lured away. Such is the battle which has raged through the generations, the soul of each child hanging in the balance.

The blood of sacrifice was used to seal the covenant, but what was offered by God in the days of old was rejected by the ways of people. Still, God so loved the children of His creation that He sought to make a new covenant, a covenant sealed with the blood of sacrifice offered beyond what could be offered by people. The sacrifice was the Lamb of God, the One sent by God to take away the sins of the world. The blood of the Lamb was offered up to atone for sin so that all who believe in Him might be forgiven and receive the salvation of their soul.

As God sent manna from heaven to feed His chosen children, He now provides the body and blood of His only begotten Son as food for the souls of all the children of His creation. The sacrifice was made so that whosoever eats of His flesh and drinks of His blood will be of the body of Christ and will have Christ in them. He told the people who witnessed Him: He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. (John 6:54)

The blood of the Lamb is the blood of the new covenant, the blood of everlasting life. Before the blood was spilled, He gathered with His disciples, held up His cup and offered to them the fruit of the vine. As He had turned water to wine, He now turned wine into His blood and told His disciples: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. (Luke 22:20) He told them: Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. ( Matthew 26:27-28 )

And so the body and blood of the Lamb of God was offered in fulfillment of the prophecy of the One which would suffer for the many so that the many might be saved. Through the sacrifice offered, what was old was now new. In prayer we should offer thanks and praise that our Lord has offered Himself in atonement for our sins and as food for our souls.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier