Easter - 5 Day DevotionalSample

Day 3: 

The Blood

(Good Friday)

Read John 19:16-30

Singing about blood often creates tension. Throughout the history of the church, singing powerful songs centered around the blood of Jesus has been a pillar of faith. But blood can make some feel uneasy, even shocked or queasy. But it is clear that Easter could not exist without the sacrificial blood of Jesus. Knowing this, why does it hit a nerve when Christians sing about the blood? 

Sacrifice should never be passive for the Christian and it definitely was not for the devout Jew at the time of Jesus’ ministry. Blood sacrifices were meticulous, expensive, and gruesome. But they were necessary. God’s repulsion of sin so clearly opposes mankind’s numbness to sin, and yet God chooses to love His creation anyway—through the lens of an innocent blood sacrifice. It’s a hard truth to wrestle with as a believer.

When we sing about the blood of Jesus, we are not singing about a blood sacrifice to satisfy a few sins, or all sins for a little while, like the ancient Israelite would use. Through the ages, God’s people searched for the greatest sacrifice to honor God, but God honored us with the perfect sacrifice of His Son. Jesus’ blood cleanses all sin, of all people, for all time, in all ways. His blood is pure and holy. Perfect and set apart. So, you can sing about the blood with confidence and boldness because, without the innocent blood of Jesus, Easter is nothing but a tragedy. 

God, in His sovereign mercy, gave us the promise of Good Friday. That promise reminds us the blood Jesus spilled was not in vain. God’s promise proves the bloody cross was not a mistake. Jesus knew what He was doing, and He accomplished God’s plan as only the Son of God could. Good Friday hurts deeply, and although weeping may last for a night, joy promises to come with the morning.