M
Miserissima
Guest
As it has been explained to me, only blood can atone for blood, since it is the physical life force of a being. Our sin caused physical death, and the only way to remit sin at that time was to forfeit the life of another being.
However, God was merciful in asking for blood from an animal instead of human blood – rather than demanding blood from the sinner’s or another person. No one was “pure enough” to atone for another man with his own blood until Christ came to us.
Now, Jesus is called the “Lamb of God,” which is a clue. A mother sheep who had lost a lamb would be encouraged to accept a new lamb to suckle, but wouldn’t accept the new lamb because it didn’t smell like her own. So, the new lamb was covered in the blood of the dead lamb. This way, the lamb was “covered in the blood” and accepted as the mother’s own.
If you recall the final plague in Egypt, this practice was applied to people, and not just animals when people had to cover their doorposts with lamb’s blood in order for the angel of death to pass by their houses. What a powerful foreshadowing!
Christ’s blood covers us in this way, washing away sin so that the Father can once again see us as “His own.” Christ’s blood is more powerful in that it doesn’t simply “cover” us as lamb’s blood would, but it effected a spiritual change in people by “washing away” sin.
The preparation for Christ’s sacrifice was using animals, until Christ willingly became the “Paschal Lamb” for us.
However, God was merciful in asking for blood from an animal instead of human blood – rather than demanding blood from the sinner’s or another person. No one was “pure enough” to atone for another man with his own blood until Christ came to us.
Now, Jesus is called the “Lamb of God,” which is a clue. A mother sheep who had lost a lamb would be encouraged to accept a new lamb to suckle, but wouldn’t accept the new lamb because it didn’t smell like her own. So, the new lamb was covered in the blood of the dead lamb. This way, the lamb was “covered in the blood” and accepted as the mother’s own.
If you recall the final plague in Egypt, this practice was applied to people, and not just animals when people had to cover their doorposts with lamb’s blood in order for the angel of death to pass by their houses. What a powerful foreshadowing!
Christ’s blood covers us in this way, washing away sin so that the Father can once again see us as “His own.” Christ’s blood is more powerful in that it doesn’t simply “cover” us as lamb’s blood would, but it effected a spiritual change in people by “washing away” sin.
The preparation for Christ’s sacrifice was using animals, until Christ willingly became the “Paschal Lamb” for us.
