Some of the worst pain I have ever felt came from a stomach ulcer I had when I was about twenty-years-old. It felt like I had swallowed a handful of daggers and they were all tumbling around in my gut. Finally, after writhing in bed trying to sleep, I called my dad and asked him to take me to the doctor. Ironically, once we got to the doctor, I started feeling much better. However, the doctor still wanted to run some tests to make sure I was OK. So, they said they needed to take a blood sample.

The thing is, my stomach had been feeling kind of funny since the night before and I skipped dinner because of it. At this point, it was around ten the next morning. I hadn’t eaten in over eighteen hours. “If you take my blood, I’m going to pass out.” I told the nurse with confidence. “Oh, no! You’ll be fine!” The nurse rolled up my sleeve, cleaned the area, and stuck the needle in my arm. The second blood began pooling inside the syringe, I turned to my dad and said, “Told you.” Moments later, I awoke to another nurse chiding the first one: “That’s the third person this week you’ve made pass out!”

I knew if they drew blood from me in that moment that I would pass out, and when they did, I could feel the consciousness, the life, draining from me. Our blood is what keeps us going. It delivers vital oxygen and nutrients all over our body. Our blood is a physical representation of life. We see that in Leviticus as well. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” Blood is sacred.

Blood was needed for a sacrifice in most cases, and the blood of Christ is the only thing that makes us clean from our iniquities. Just as if we lose the blood in our veins, we pass away. Without the blood of Christ, we too lose the redeeming life within ourselves. Without the blood of Christ we are essentially empty shells - void of life. Thank God, we are full of life. We are full of His spirit. All thanks to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice of his own life, his own blood, poured out for the sake of our redemption.