30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 21 The Blood

All religions have a blood element to them, some deep down, but there none the less.  Modern Western people are removed from blood.  Our food comes in plastic from the grocery store, modern medicine sterilizes and staunches blood, and we have virtually no concept of sacrifice.  The Blood of Jesus was always very confusing for me until I began to see and understand, the key was the Garden of Eden.

The First Covering of Sin

To set the stage, Adam and Eve have fallen and are about to be expelled from the garden: Genesis 3:21 "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."  This is the first sacrifice, the first shedding of blood to cover sin. The Lord himself made the clothing to cover the nakedness and the sin of man.  This sacrifice to cover sin continues through the Old Testament law.  God is orderly, He set up laws and rules, He abides by them.

The imperfect animal sacrifices had to be performed over and over again, until Jesus.  A loving God knew that only a perfect sinless sacrifice would pay the debt, would fulfill the law, would meet the requirement.  Only He could redeem us, only He could shed his blood and save us, once and for all eternity.

Pray - Lord, the blood has always confused me.  Please help me understand your sacrifice and the power of the blood.

(Interesting Legend - It is said the clothing that the Lord made for Adam and Eve was the finest clothing the Ancient World had ever known.  Legend holds that it was made of leopard skins and was worn by Adam and Eve until their deaths 900 years after the fall.  The mythical clothing was said to be a price of war and won by the mighty man Nimrod who was a great hunter.  The tradition of leopard skins in worship can still be seen in Africa.  The Shembe consider the leopard skin integral in their worship of God.  As CS Lewis was fond of saying, there is truth that survives as legend.)