The Word

Blood and Water

🌟 Scriptures🌟

Hebrews 9:14 

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 

Matthew 26:28 

For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins

🗣️The Message📜

A few months ago before school ended I was walking around the UWM union and they were having some kind of an art auction. I didn't have much money at the time but I couldn't help but look. There were many good pieces, some even boldly edified The Cross, but only one caught my attention and captured my heart. It was a photograph (which is above) of scenery that had a body of water with nature surrounding it, but what moved my heart was that all of it was red. For a while, God had been showing me that Christ was in all things the water, the trees, the rocks, the air, in me, and He's been in all things from the beginning of time, so when I saw the painting it was a physical reminder of The Lord's Words and the canvas of the world Christ. 

Fast forward I recently became very interested in water and blood because of baptism. When you get baptized your sins get washed away in the water and the blood of Christ's sacrifice physically and spiritually. 1 John 1:7-9 talks about how Christ's blood cleanses us from our sins, but what was the significance of the blood? What was the significance of the water? Well, let's take a look.

The two most important things on earth, the two things on earth that determine life are blood and water. The air even has water in it. And since these two are so important of course they'd work together in the life process. Blood is 90% water, water is in everything on earth, we'd all die without it. Also, without blood most living things would die. We all as humans need blood and water to live essentially. The thing that kind of blew my mind was that these two necessities of life were used for cleansing in the Bible before Christ even came. In Exodus 40:30-32 the priests had to wash their hands and feet before they entered the tent of meeting or God's presence. Also, they'd often sprinkle blood on objects and sometimes people for cleansing (Deuteronomy 12:23).

Then, later we see that when the first Passover was being enacted they put blood on their doorpost the blood caused death to pass over their houses, it's also funny that during that time they were instructed to eat the entire lamb along with bread and bitter herbs. If this isn't Jesus I don't know what it is, it reminds me of when Jesus told the people that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life for He was the sacrificial lamb of God. (John 6:53-59)

This was a sign that meant that we would have The Lord living with us forever and that we would be enabled to be Christ's light on the earth. We take communion in remembrance of what Christ did on the cross but it is also a reminder of who we should be on this earth, the sacrifice that we must make, and the cross we must carry. The bread which is Christ's flesh who is and was and is to come. The Word calls us to spread His Word, His bread and the wine which is Christ's blood symbolizes life, forgiveness, and being made clean. This shows us that we have been made right with Christ and joined into the Body and family of Christ through His blood and sacrifice, nothing we have done.

Now Communion makes me think of Baptism. In God's anger over sin, over disobedience, He turned water into blood and everything in it died two times in the Word in Revelation 16:3 and in Exodus 7:21. The beginning and the end. But when Jesus our lord comes onto the scene His first miracle was turning water into wine, but this time it was in joy, it was to celebrate and to be merry. I think the blood aspect of baptism edifies God's anger over our sins and His joy of it being put to death and us once again being able to have communion with The Father and being forgiven. As we go into the water it's a symbol of death to the power of sin, and as we rise it's a symbol of our new and true life in Christ. When we come up and are saved and joined with The Father we are charged to go throughout the earth and share The Good News which is the bread of life, Christ. Our old flesh, our old ways died with Christ on the cross and were buried as we were baptized then we were sent on a mission to carry life and light to the world. From Genesis 1 when the Holy Spirit hovered over the water to Revelation 22 where the angel presented the river of the water of life flowing from the Throne of The Living God, we can see how important blood as well as water is. Overall I believe the blood, as well as the water that courses through everything, shows us how our living and loving God is in and through all things loving us, caring for us, and giving us all life. Lord may we remember the blood and water that spilled from Your side, may we remember that we were cleansed by both and we are charged to go out and spread Your living Word throughout the earth so that every temple may be covered with Your blood and won't have to taste death In Jesus' name AMEN!