Children have a unique perspective that allows them to keep everything “less scary” in their world. A little boy got concerned when his Daddy, a minister, didn’t come home by the usual time. He finally asked his mother, “Is Dad going around visiting all the sick people?” His mother replied, “No honey, he’s down at the Red Cross Center giving blood.” The boy paused in thought for a moment and then said: “But we know it’s really just grape juice, don’t we Mom?” [1]
The mere thought of a cross, crown of thorns and all that blood can bring waves of questions about the whole idea of sacrifice. Another young boy stood in the church one day looking at the cross behind the pulpit. After a long silence he finally asked the question: Why did Jesus have to die?
Why, indeed! Pontius Pilate asked the same question. When Jesus was dragged before Pilate to move along the plot to kill him, the Roman questioned Jesus, and then said to the crowd:
“…what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” Mark 15:12 - 14 (NRSV)
The question, why was Jesus crucified, sets up a dilemma that has troubled many, even long time believers. We were taught that Jesus died for our sins, but the question sometimes nags – couldn’t God have done it some other way? Why the pain…beatings and shame of the cross?
My Pastor’s Partners[2] surrounded the problem with various thoughts:
• A teenager wrote: Brutality and pain fascinates mankind – we kind of need a slap in the face to get our attention.
• Senior adult:God could’ve handled this any way he wanted…He’s God!
• [our sin caused, a] …great chasm between God and man. Only God, our maker, can repair us. Although I don’t understand why sacrifices were necessary, I can accept that it is God’s way.
Our text explores the problem of God finding a way to deal with our sin, to repair His broken creation.
…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22b (NRSV)
In considering the text please notice two realities about the cost of restoring our relationship with God:
1. Forgiveness is Costly
Forgiveness has to do with clearing up a debt. In the words of the Bible we are all debtors. Our sin causes us to be at odds with God, in debt to God. This is because we were created by Him, and He demands that we live without sin. Only one person, Jesus, ever lived-up to that standard. The rest of us blew that one, big time!
…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23 (NRSV)
Jesus told a story one time which is a wonderful example of this coming up short. It is the story of the Prodigal Son[3] . A boy wanted to live life his own way – get out from under Dad’s thumb. He convinced his Dad to give him his inheritance, and then he hit the road for the big city and the good life! Now, the young man wasted every cent of his inheritance on partying. He never even thought of home or his father.
When it was all gone he awoke one day in the middle of the pigpen (an awful thing for any Jewish boy). The boy thought to himself something like, Earth to prodigal – Here I sit wallowing in pig town, starving and cold. My Dad’s place – man do I miss home. I belong there; I am outa here!
The boy went home, intending to beg to come back. Everyone listening to the story would have agreed that the father should have made the boy grovel just a little. However, Jesus surprised everyone, and finished off the story with the father’s reaction when he saw his prodigal coming on home…
…But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 (NRSV)
Jesus told that story to demonstrate how merciful and forgiving God is toward anyone who will turn towards the Father in heaven. That is the grace, or loving side of God.
However there is another side of God that is just as awesome – the justice, or righteousness side. The Bible tells us that the righteousness of God demands payment for sin:
For the wages of sin is death,... Romans 6:23 (NRSV)
There is a cost to the kind of behavior the prodigal son exhibited. When he left home he took half his father’s estate with him; he came back broke. That, beloved, is the cost which his Father bore. The Father had to remit (forgive) the son’s debt, or there could be no fellowship, no restored relationship between them.
Both sin and death violate God’s intention for His creation (us). Sin must be judged, because God is holy, and the judgment that God’s law requires is death. But death is also not God’s choice for us, so God chooses to satisfy the requirement of holiness (death) by purification, or atonement for the sin. He acts to pay the penalty for our prodigal behavior…
2. The Cost of Forgiveness is BLOOD
…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22b (NRSV)
Shedding of blood is the act of opening up the way for our sins to be remitted. If God were to forgive just because of His love, without a sacrifice, it would be a distortion of His nature of justice. On the other hand, we cannot pay the cost, so God, in order to satisfy his righteousness, while still acting in accordance with His nature of love and mercy, paid the cost – that is mercy – atonement at God’s expense.
Just as in Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son, our sins must cost someone something. In the story it was only money – the father’s estate. In real life, our sins cost something priceless – the shedding (literally the “gushing-forth”) of Jesus’ own blood.
Scripture tells us that life is in the blood (Leviticus 17.11). What we celebrate at the Lord’s Supper table is the blood being poured out; our Savior, broken and spilled-out for us…our debt – his blood.
The King James Version of the Scriptures uses the word “remission” in place of “forgiveness”. It’s a good word – everyone with the killing disease of cancer is hoping for remission. Had God not died for us, our sins would not be in remission – unable to infect and kill us. Our Savior’s blood, shed and spilled-out, gushing washed our sin debt away! Anyone who will can come to the cross, accept the blood which was shed on our behalf, and every sin is remitted – forgiven and removed from us as far as the east is from the west….not because we’re good; because God is good!
MAX LUCADO, in his book, Six Hours One Friday, tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily.
A hospital was not very far away—across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed it was inhabited by evil spirits. To enter the water would mean certain death.
• The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and was unharmed. They were not impressed.
• He then took them to the bank and placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in.
• He walked into the water up to his waist and splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river.
• Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He punched a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and escaped.
• It was then that the Indians broke out into a cheer and followed him across. [4]
That’s exactly what Jesus did:
He told the people of His day that they need not fear the river of death, but they wouldn’t believe.
He touched a dead boy and called him back to life. They still didn’t believe.
He whispered life into the body of a dead girl and got the same result.
He let a dead man spend 4 days in a tomb and then called him out and the people still didn’t believe Him.
Finally, He entered the river of death and came out on the other side.
No wonder we celebrate the Resurrection!
This then begs the question:
Did you accept his shedding of blood for your sins so your sins could be forgiven?
Have your sins been put into remission?
He was broken and spilled-out for you…
Do you stand covered by the blood?
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ENDNOTES
1] Priscilla Larson, of Lexington, Massachusetts, quoted on SermonCentral.com
2] An informal group of my family, friends and church family who help me think through each weekly text.
3] Luke 15
4] SermonCentral.com, Contributed by Bruce Howell
