NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS

HOMILY FOR GOOD FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD

REV. FR. PETER EZEKOKA

Isaiah 52:13-53:12        Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9        John 18:1-19:42 

I once knew a student whose sole reason for not venturing into Medicine and Surgery as his area of specialization was that he couldn’t stand the sight of blood! Some of us, like that young man, cannot stand the sight of blood either. But here, on Good Friday, we see in Jesus Someone who could and did stand the sight of blood. The sight He saw was His own Blood. Moreover, He offered that Most Precious Blood for our communal and personal wellbeing.

In the Old Testament, blood is viewed as having an aura of sanctity because it is essential for life. The misuse of blood is punishable by death (Lev 17:10) because the soul of the flesh is to be found in the blood (Lev 17:11). Blood is sacred, precious and valuable. According to Lev 8:15; 9:9, the atoning power of every sacrifice lies specifically in the blood of the sacrificial animal. The Mosaic Law holds that, when an animal is sacrificed, its blood has to be sprinkled on those who have been defiled so that the penitents’ flesh is made pure again.  According to the Law, nearly everything requires cleansing with blood; and, as the writer to the Hebrews stated in 9:22, unless blood is poured out in sacrifice, forgiveness is not granted. All of this may sound a bit gory to modern ears, but the point is that the OT linking of lifeblood to sacredness is signposting the ultimate exalted purpose that the sacrificial Blood of Jesus Christ was going to serve.

The death of Christ was enacted as a sacrifice. His sacred, pierced and wounded Body was pinned to two pieces of wood forming a cross, and His Blood poured out as a libation as He died. In the Passion narrative according to St. John, blood and water flowed out of the Body when one of the soldiers pierced His sacred heart with a lance. The separation of water and blood indicated that He was physically dead.

The Blood of Jesus was the supreme sacrificial and atoning offering to God. Christ willingly poured out His human blood to guarantee our justification (cf. Rom. 5:9) so that there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ (cf. Rom. 8:1). The shedding of His Blood was sacrificial; it was also covenantal. In the OT, without the shedding of blood there was no covenantal bond. It is the Blood of Jesus that bonds us covenantally to God. The sacrificial offering of any warm-blooded animal, or of any man, or even of ourselves, would never have sufficed to pay the debt we humans owe for the sins and offences we have committed against Almighty God. To atone adequately for these, we need to have a perfect, unblemished and spotless sacrifice offered on our behalf. ‘Nobody’s perfect’ we quip as we fail and fall time and again. And it’s true … we’re not. So where will we find Someone who is perfect to atone for us?

The answer is: Jesus the Christ, the sinless God-Man, who became incarnate for us, was born, and who died in human flesh, emptying Himself of His Blood to release us from the shackles of sin and death into the state of grace. 1 Peter 1:18-19 confirms the He paid the ransom for us. Romans 3:25 asserts that His Blood reconciled us to God. Hebrews 13:12 declares joyfully that His Blood sanctifies us. And Ephesians 2:13 reveals that that Precious Blood opens for us the way to the very presence of God!

The Precious Blood of Jesus the God-Man pleads more insistently than Abel’s blood (cf. Heb. 12:24) and it assures our peace (Col. 1:19-20). It was by virtue of His Precious Blood that the enemy – Satan - was completely overcome (Rev 12:11). Worthy is the Lamb; the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing (Rev 5:12). Jesus Christ is the Lamb that was slain who, by His Blood, ransomed men for God (cf. Rev.5:9). Indeed, as Isaiah foresaw (Is 53:4), ours were the sufferings He bore, ours were the sorrows He carried.

At this point, it may be helpful to remind ourselves of the three basic functions of blood in the human body. As a body fluid, blood delivers essential substances (including nutrients and oxygen) to the cells, transports metabolic waste products away from the cells and helps to regulate the body temperature. In the spiritual realm, the Blood of Jesus functions similarly to our benefit. The Blood of Jesus delivers essential divine virtues throughout the entirety of our being. These virtues are essential for the maintenance of a good relationship with God and with our fellow human beings. The Blood of Jesus transports away from our lives those vices that harm our souls and cleanses us from all sins (1 Jn 1:7). The Blood of Jesus helps to regulate our spirit so that it is neither lax nor scrupulous, thirsting as it does for God and accommodating other people in the spirit of Christ.

Everyone’s blood belongs to one of four blood groups. I once had a friend who passed over, simply because the blood that matched his own blood group was not available for transfusion. We know it can be life-threatening if someone is given blood from a different blood group. If someone with blood group B is given group A blood, the Anti-A antibodies will attack the incoming group A cells. Sometimes, human beings act like antibodies, attacking one another instead of co-existing peacefully. The Blood of Jesus, however, is a perfect match for every blood group. So, whether you are blood group A or B or AB or O, positive or negative, Blood group J (Jesus) is your perfect match. The Second Reading assures us that we have a supreme high priest who has gone to the highest heaven. In Jesus, there is no Jew or Gentile. In Jesus is peace.

The Precious Blood of Jesus is a perfect match for each and every one of us - the African, the American, the European, the Asian, the Australian, the Scot, and of course, the Nigerian. And you know what? This Precious Blood is readily available to each and every one of us. There is no need to run round like a headless chicken in search of it, because it has been embedded in our souls. All we need to do is to tap into it in prayer and good works, and then to sit back and marvel as it flows in and through us. The Blood of Jesus is the sign of our unity with God and with each other in love and peace. The Blood of Jesus is the most powerful blood in history – which is, of course, ‘HIS-story’! His Blood is the perfect match for us all. On this Holy Day, Good Friday, as individuals and as a worshipping community we have the opportunity to harness the power and efficacy of His Blood in our lives. May the Holy and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, shed for us on the cross, purify us, sanctify us, preserve us, protect us, unite us and bring us peace, now and for always. Amen. God bless you.