Moses desperately wants the Israelites to obey the commandments of the Lord. When, in the Book of Exodus, Moses relates all the words and ordinances of the Lord to the people, they all answer with one voice: We will do everything that the Lord has told us. To solemnize this moment, Moses creates a formal covenant by means of a sacrifice: taking the blood of young bulls, Moses splashes half on the altar, then sprinkles the rest on the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you. A blood sacrifice was traditionally a way to ask for forgiveness of sin; when the people are marked with the blood of the covenant, they agree to participate as one body, bound together in a binding contract with the Lord. Therein lies their salvation.
Jesus’ disciples also participate in a covenant established in and through blood. At the Last Supper, in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus breaks bread and then, when all have drunk from the cup, Jesus says, This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. His words, echoing Exodus, are meant to help the disciples to realize that they too are bound up in a covenant in which they must participate. In this, Christ is, as the Book of Hebrews tells us, the high priest who offers himself unblemished to God, the perfect sacrifice, offered freely, once and for all. Through the sacrifice of his own blood, Jesus washes away our sin, cleansing our consciences, and thereby making possible the salvation of the world – all this, that we might, as Psalm 116 suggests, offer the only sacrifice remaining to us: a sacrifice of thanksgiving in gratitude for the cup of salvation that is ours. Christ’s blood binds us; his sacrifice trumps all sacrifices. We too are called to participate in this covenant by obeying the commandments of the Lord, and by offering a sacrifice of praise for the tremendous gift of the Body and Blood of Christ, sacrificed on the cross.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
No comments:
Post a Comment