"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) KJV
Snowy winter wonderland to balmy Spring in three days. Only in Hogsback... With the sun on our backs, dressed in light summer clothes, the musty smell of a warmed forest floor in the air, and the juice of sweet oranges dripping down our chins, I marvelled at the thought that only four days ago, the boys were building a snowman on almost the same spot... My deepest memory of the recent snow, is the absolute purity of it, the way it transforms a landscape, makes it seem vast, pristine and uncharted. Being the first one to step into deep fresh snow quickens your senses, makes you feel giddy and free. (Until the cold gets through to your bones...). It silences, falling with a stealth and softness that has never failed to take my breath away. This is one gift our Creator has given us on this wild and wonderful peace of land, that trumps all the spectacular sunsets, the brilliant night-skies, the mystery of swirling mists and abundance of butterflies and blossoms in Spring. The song goes: "Oh love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong! How often is purity likened to snow, in phrases of poetry or song, yet nothing is purer, more vast and unfathomable than God's love.
Prior to the sudden snow, it had been so bone dry, layers of dust collecting on plants until even the mountains seemed dulled and sad. Then, overnight all was transformed, clean. At the beginning of the week a song by the Gaither Vocal band kept on going through my mind. The words of the first verse are:
I stepped into the river
Sank up to my knees in the mud
The preacher man took me under
Beneath that cleansing flood
There was something in the water
There was power in the blood
For the first time in my life I felt clean....
Clean. We understand the concept of being "washed" of our sins, but how does the "cleansing" truly come about? How do we stand before the throne of our Almighty loving and just God - pure as snow and clean as the morning dew?
That made me wonder about the water and blood that flowed from Jesus' side when He was pierced by the Roman soldier to confirm His death. There are physiological explanations that are given for this. One is that the intense flogging and beating with instruments of torture, resulted in a condition called pleural effusion, the build-up of an abnormal amount of fluid around the lung area. But I knew that like with everything else in the bible, nothing happens without a it having a deeper significance. I had to find out what it meant. I'd like to share with you, from the abundance of information, some of what I found and hope to be both a balanced summary and confirmation of Christ's absolute redemption.
In 1 John 5:6 it says: This is the one who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. The water and blood are two separate witnesses - one of his baptism the other his death. Water and blood could also refer to His human birth (and death). The water as symbol of the Spirit is His baptism - to fulfil all righteousness. The blood is the covenant by his death; pointing to the beginning and end of his ministry.
The custom at the time of Jesus being crucified, was for the bones of the crucified person to be broken, so that they could no longer hold themselves up, and die an accelerated death by suffocation. But when they came to Jesus he had already committed His spirit into the Father's hands - willingly. This happened so that another scripture could be fulfilled (Psalm 34:20 ... he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.) So what happened then was - "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water" (John 19:36).
(Note: When Moses struck the rock in the desert, there was a flow of water to quench the thirst of the people and cattle in the desert. This was a meaningful miracle. In striking the rock, Moses acted out a drama that he perhaps didn't understand. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul wrote of Israel in the Exodus: they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. When Jesus was struck, living water flowed out for all to receive. Isn't it amazing how it all points to Christ, "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted". (Isaiah 53:4; 1 Corinthians 10:4)).
A trial was made whether Jesus was dead. He died in less time than people crucified usually did. It showed that he had laid down his life of himself. The spear broke up the very fountains of life; no human body could survive such a wound. But there was something peculiar in it. The blood and water that flowed out, signified the two amazing gifts which all believers receive through Christ: justification and sanctification, blood for atonement, water for purification.
An online dictionary defines justified as: to prove or show (something) to be just, right, or reasonable. Through the blood that flowed we were made just, the absolute price was paid to make us right(eous) before our Father. I don't know about you, but I had quite a time really believing that I can be considered righteous. That "word" I always reserved for biblical figures like Abraham or Moses. Little by little the truth of my own righteousness through Jesus is sinking in - and it is a wonderful realisation.
But we are not only justified, but also sanctified (to make something holy), purified (to free from sin, guilt or other defilement, or to become clean). We clean our bodies with such care, present to the world a fresh, presentable, pleasant to behold package, but the accumulated dirt on the inside cannot be scrubbed away by our own means or masked with a pleasant scent. To be purified, means to be renewed from the heart, working through mind, body and soul. It means to be set apart for holy purposes, even in the most mundane or trying environment or situation. It is not a persona we step in or out of, it is who we become once we truly accept the blood and water that flowed from the man and God, Jesus at the cross. In the heart of one purified there is no place for pride, guilt, self-condemnation, insecurity, doubt, fear, feelings of failure and rejection, anger or self-pity. Make the truth of who you are in Christ your own, a new creation, a priceless masterpiece in the making.
Water and blood both flow from the pierced side of our Redeemer. It silences our fears and restores hope and trust. We may always look to Him, whom we have so ignorantly pierced by our sins, as the One who continues to cleanse us each day. Your name was in His heart then as it is now. Each day He chooses you again and again. "...the One who formed you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; YOU ARE MINE" (Isaiah 43:1).
Snowy winter wonderland to balmy Spring in three days. Only in Hogsback... With the sun on our backs, dressed in light summer clothes, the musty smell of a warmed forest floor in the air, and the juice of sweet oranges dripping down our chins, I marvelled at the thought that only four days ago, the boys were building a snowman on almost the same spot... My deepest memory of the recent snow, is the absolute purity of it, the way it transforms a landscape, makes it seem vast, pristine and uncharted. Being the first one to step into deep fresh snow quickens your senses, makes you feel giddy and free. (Until the cold gets through to your bones...). It silences, falling with a stealth and softness that has never failed to take my breath away. This is one gift our Creator has given us on this wild and wonderful peace of land, that trumps all the spectacular sunsets, the brilliant night-skies, the mystery of swirling mists and abundance of butterflies and blossoms in Spring. The song goes: "Oh love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong! How often is purity likened to snow, in phrases of poetry or song, yet nothing is purer, more vast and unfathomable than God's love.
Prior to the sudden snow, it had been so bone dry, layers of dust collecting on plants until even the mountains seemed dulled and sad. Then, overnight all was transformed, clean. At the beginning of the week a song by the Gaither Vocal band kept on going through my mind. The words of the first verse are:
I stepped into the river
Sank up to my knees in the mud
The preacher man took me under
Beneath that cleansing flood
There was something in the water
There was power in the blood
For the first time in my life I felt clean....
Clean. We understand the concept of being "washed" of our sins, but how does the "cleansing" truly come about? How do we stand before the throne of our Almighty loving and just God - pure as snow and clean as the morning dew?
That made me wonder about the water and blood that flowed from Jesus' side when He was pierced by the Roman soldier to confirm His death. There are physiological explanations that are given for this. One is that the intense flogging and beating with instruments of torture, resulted in a condition called pleural effusion, the build-up of an abnormal amount of fluid around the lung area. But I knew that like with everything else in the bible, nothing happens without a it having a deeper significance. I had to find out what it meant. I'd like to share with you, from the abundance of information, some of what I found and hope to be both a balanced summary and confirmation of Christ's absolute redemption.
In 1 John 5:6 it says: This is the one who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. The water and blood are two separate witnesses - one of his baptism the other his death. Water and blood could also refer to His human birth (and death). The water as symbol of the Spirit is His baptism - to fulfil all righteousness. The blood is the covenant by his death; pointing to the beginning and end of his ministry.
The custom at the time of Jesus being crucified, was for the bones of the crucified person to be broken, so that they could no longer hold themselves up, and die an accelerated death by suffocation. But when they came to Jesus he had already committed His spirit into the Father's hands - willingly. This happened so that another scripture could be fulfilled (Psalm 34:20 ... he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.) So what happened then was - "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water" (John 19:36).
An online dictionary defines justified as: to prove or show (something) to be just, right, or reasonable. Through the blood that flowed we were made just, the absolute price was paid to make us right(eous) before our Father. I don't know about you, but I had quite a time really believing that I can be considered righteous. That "word" I always reserved for biblical figures like Abraham or Moses. Little by little the truth of my own righteousness through Jesus is sinking in - and it is a wonderful realisation.
Water and blood both flow from the pierced side of our Redeemer. It silences our fears and restores hope and trust. We may always look to Him, whom we have so ignorantly pierced by our sins, as the One who continues to cleanse us each day. Your name was in His heart then as it is now. Each day He chooses you again and again. "...the One who formed you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; YOU ARE MINE" (Isaiah 43:1).
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