Blood shed

The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were shrinking back into Judaism due to the double persecution they faced. Jews were hated by the Romans and were mistreated but then if a Jew became a follower of Jesus then they were also hated and ostracized and even persecuted by their fellow Jews. It was tempting to give it up and just go back to Judaism so some of the persecution would stop. Hebrews was written to explain how Christianity was the new better thing. How the rituals and practices of temple worship had all been foreshadowing Jesus.

In chapter 9 the writer compares the temple sacrifices to the ministry of Jesus.

“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Hebrews 9:22-28 – NASB

There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. For the Old Testament believers it was the blood of animals, but it all pointed to the one perfect sacrifice, God who became a man, Jesus who then gave his own life to pay for my sin, for our sin. One sacrifice for all time, for all sin.

Thank you Jesus. You paid the price for my sin, for our sin.