Recently, I cheerfully and willingly volunteered to donate a precious gift—my blood—to someone I will likely never know.
As I watched that rich, red, life-sustaining substance flow, I thought of an object lesson. The blood reminded me of what flowed from Emmanuel’s veins.
Fully aware of the process before me, a harmless prick punctured me—not a nail, thorns, or spear as happened to my Lord. After being welcomed and thanked for my donation, I lay comfortably and relaxed as the nurse treated me with care and dignity.
Our Lord Jesus, however, was neither welcomed nor thanked for His blood. Yet He fulfilled the reason why He was born. He was fully aware of what was ahead of Him. He knew from the beginning the perfect plan of His Father God: that He would shed His innocent blood for the sins of the entire world.
God miraculously answered Jesus’ call for help when He raised Jesus from the dead. But not before Jesus’ gruesome encounter. God laid that enormous burden of sin upon Him. What love. What sacrifice.
Jesus was not pampered for His task. No one offered Him a cold drink of water or juice. Instead, Jesus met His volunteer task with physical, emotional, and spiritual agony. He had experienced the traumatic—hunger, thirst, betrayal, loneliness, beatings, mocking, disrespect, and humiliation. Nevertheless, because of His love, He endured the cross. His unfailing love for us bore all the above and then death by the most tortuous means—typically reserved for criminals.
Thoughts of Jesus’ blood moved me to thanksgiving, praise, and passionate prayer for those desperately needing a Savior. A high price has been paid. All that is required now is acknowledging and admitting our need, believing, and receiving God’s gift.
Have you received Jesus’ life-giving blood?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Penelope White is a wife, mother of two young adult sons, and G’ma. She is also a Christian educator, speaker, church school curriculum writer/teacher, workshop facilitator, middle school counselor, mentor for first-year teachers, tutor, and home Bible study/prayer meeting host. Her experience in working with children spans more than four decades in churches, communities, and schools. Additionally, she has served as a volunteer in a neighborhood nursing care facility, a center for the homeless, and countless schools.