Blood

All photos are courtesy of Unsplash 

Using an average of 80 beats per minute, the heart beats around 115,000 times a day. Although a typical adult human body contains near to 5 litres of blood, the heart pumps the equivalent of 7,500 litres of blood a day through around 60,000 miles of blood vessels. That is equivalent to more than twice the circumference of the earth’s surface, and some of the blood vessels are as thin as 5 microns — that is 5 thousandths of a millimetre, thinner than a human hair.

The Psalmist, David said that he would praise the Lord, ‘for I am fearfully and wonderfully made’.

Not only are the statistics staggering, but the task the blood performs is no mean accomplishment. To mention just a few of its functions — It takes away carbon dioxide and toxins from the body; It supplies oxygen and nutrients to where they are needed; It provides the body with a defence mechanism — so that if the body were to be injured or faced with infection, it stands ready to protect and preserve.

No wonder that the Bible says that ‘the life of the flesh is in the blood’. Whilst blood works away quietly, blood also ‘speaks’.

Aside from the red substance within our veins, blood speaks of relationships — a common bond shared between people by inheritance because they belong to the same family. The Bible also speaks about blood in this way. It says that God has ‘made of one blood all nations’. One thing we all share in common is that the source of our life is from God, It is He who provides us with life, movement and existence, but also share something else in common through the bloodlines. We have inherited a nature which makes us rebel against God — we have all sinned.

Adam and Eve violated God’s command and tried, unsuccessfully, to cover up their guilt by sewing together fig leaf aprons. Many people think that they can come to God and He will accept their regret and others try to cover up the wrong things they have done with good works, but the Bible says ‘the soul who sins shall die’. Sin requires death, so God provided Adam and Eve with coats made from a skin, requiring the death of an animal.

This leads us to consider another use of the word ‘blood’. When someone has ‘blood on their hands’ they are responsible for someone’s death, in particular, the violent death of innocent blood. It is in that way that God spoke to Cain, who had just murdered his brother when He said ‘The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground’. Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance.

The Bible also speaks about the ‘blood of Jesus Christ His Son’ that ‘cleanses us from all sin’. In order for us to be released from the punishment our sin deserved, the Lord Jesus was crucified and gave His life so we could be forgiven.

To those who have asked God to forgive them, His precious blood, though silent, speaks volumes. It speaks of peace with God. As our blood provides an essential function for physical life, so the blood of Jesus Christ is essential for spiritual life. It takes away the punishment and guilt of sin. It supplies eternal life. It is a Christian’s defence — God’s wrath is pacified,  and if He is satisfied, then no-one can take away their eternal security. Sins; past, present and future have all been answered.

I wonder, what does the blood of Jesus Christ mean to you?

Written by Tom Merriman for Messages with Meaning (21/06/21) and Your542Day