By Doug Redford
The first shedding of human blood, according to Scripture, was Abel’s at the hand of his brother, Cain. We have barely begun reading the Bible (we’re still in single digits in terms of pages), and already we see the bitter fruit resulting from Adam and Eve eating of the forbidden fruit. We do not know at what point Adam and Eve learned of Cain’s action, but the Lord knew. He told Cain, “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). Perhaps Cain had tried to bury his brother’s body to hide the deed, but Abel’s blood could not be silenced.
The writer of Hebrews refers to the voice coming from Abel’s blood and contrasts it with the voice provided by Jesus’ blood. He notes that Jesus is “the mediator of a new covenant” and that his “sprinkled blood . . . speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). The blood of many people had been shed since the time of Abel (tragically, much of it through acts of violence). Why single out Abel’s blood as a reference point? Perhaps to highlight the truth that God’s plan for addressing humanity’s sin through the shedding of blood was in his mind early in the biblical record. In fact, Peter writes of Jesus being chosen as “a lamb without blemish or defect . . . before the creation of the world” (1 Peter 1:19, 20). Jesus’ blood speaks a “better” word than Abel’s, for Abel’s blood cried out to God for retribution. Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption, of grace and mercy; it announces the good news of God’s forgiveness.
One should also note that whereas Cain’s blood and his life were taken by a violent act, Jesus’ life was not really taken (though the crucifixion was a violent way to die). Jesus gave his life, a point that he made very clear with the cross just a short time away (John 10:17, 18).
Most of the time when we see someone bleeding, we find it unsettling. At Communion, we take the emblems of the bread and the juice, with the juice representing Jesus’ blood. We do not find his words, “This is my blood,” unsettling; we take heart from them because we know that by his blood our account before God has been settled. The answer to a question posed in an old hymn remains the same: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Doug Redford has served in the preaching ministry, as an editor of adult Sunday school curriculum, and as a Bible college professor. Now retired, he continues to write and speak as opportunities come.
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