Blood

Images of Life and Death

The red fluid circulating in our body takes nourishment to the body parts and carries away waste. The word “blood” is often used literally in Scripture. Sometimes the word refers to the blood of animals (Gen. 37:31); at other times it refers to human blood (1 Kin. 22:35). The word is also used figuratively in the Bible. It may mean “blood red” (Joel 2:31) or murder (Matt. 27:24). The phrase “flesh and blood” means humanity (Heb. 2:14).

But the most important biblical concept in regard to blood is the spiritual significance of the blood of sacrificial animals. Although some scholars believe the blood primarily means the animal's life, most agree that blood refers to the animal's death. Most of the Old Testament passages that discuss sacrifices mention the death of the animal, not its life (Lev. 4:4–5). The Bible makes it clear that the satisfaction or payment for human sins was made by the death of a specified animal substitute: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17:11).

In the New Testament, this Old Testament idea of sacrifice is applied to Christ's blood. References to the “blood of Christ” always mean the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. References to the blood of Christ were made by Paul (Rom. 3:25); Peter (1 Pet. 1:19); John (Rev. 1:5) and the author of Hebrews (Heb. 9:14). Although all have sinned, “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7).

Blood Money

Tainted Money

The chief priests knew that the coins tossed back at them by Judas were unacceptable to God (Matt. 27:6). It was blood money, money they had paid to apprehend their enemy, Jesus (26:14–16). Yet they turned around and used it to buy a cemetery for the poor—a good deed, yet hypocritical all the same.

Do you ever present “tainted” money to the Lord—money not necessarily obtained through outright crime, but perhaps through deception, shady deal-making, or dirty politics? When we donate money to churches, missions, schools, ministries to the poor, and the like, we hide nothing from God. He knows all of our motives. He knows whether our gifts are from the first and best of what we've accumulated, or whether we're giving “leftovers.” He knows whether our gifts cost us little or nothing (2 Sam. 24:21–24). And He certainly knows—and hates—whatever we have come by unjustly (Mal. 1:6–14). We deceive no one but ourselves if we pretend to honor God while giving Him the fruit of unrighteousness.