Hebrews 9. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (9:22). I think that we, in our sanitized and modern western culture, do not grasp the significance of the blood and sacrifices. We live in a shiny, industrialized, computerized world that seems so far removed from these practices. And yet, there are traditional cultures and worship systems around the world that still offer daily sacrifices, including blood, to their gods.

My husband and I lived almost ten years in Muslim west and north Africa. The worship of traditional animistic gods was often merged with the worship of Allah; and there were plenty of animals sacrificed (still today!) in hopes of putting people in a right relationship with their gods. Once a year there was the big sacrifice – the Eid – which harkened back to Abraham’s almost sacrifice of Isaac and the provision of the ram. For a month leading up to the Eid large rams began to appear in the city – big, beautiful rams with traditional magical charms around their necks. Each family bought the biggest ram they could afford, and on the day of the Eid rams were slaughtered in backyards across the county and a big family feast was held. Traditionally everyone gets new clothes (with matching fabric!) and it’s the largest family holiday of the year and the whole day is spent out visiting friends. The trick was always to keep the little kids from playing with the ram entrails and getting blood all over their new outfits!

While traditional religious celebrations are an annual fun family festival, they are based on the shedding of an animal’s blood so that the people are made right with their god(s). But the letter to the Hebrews tells us that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (10:4). The shedding of blood is necessary for the forgiveness of sins (9:22), but the blood of animals was never enough.

The author of Hebrews explains how the death of Jesus – the perfect sacrifice – was sufficient for all sins and there is no longer a need for animal sacrifices:

But when Christ appeared as a high priest… he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption… He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself… (9:11-12, 26-28). Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God (10:11-12).

This is what Jesus meant when he cried from the cross, “It is finished!” By the means of his own blood, Jesus has secured an eternal redemption for us (9:12).

The next time you take communion, listen to the liturgy. As the cup of wine is lifted, we are reminded that it is the blood of the new covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28).

*If you want to go deeper on these topics, I highly recommend the Hebrews commentary by David Peterson from the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series, Intervarsity Press, 2020.