Marked with the Blood

~~~ Exodus 11:10—12:14 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Matthew 12:1-8 ~~~

How shall I make a return to the LORD

for all the good he has done for me?

The common thread in the readings today is food.

Food is one of our basic needs as a human being.

We cannot exist for long without some type of food and water.

God instructed Moses to follow the prescription 

for the Passover celebration;

but he made one addition.

After choosing and preparing the whole lamb or goat for roasting,

the animal's blood was to be used to mark their doorways.

When God came to judge the town

those with the sacrificial blood were to be spared.

The blood of the slain animal was the sign of saving from harm.

God does keep to his plan and passes over those houses.

Without the whole sacrificial animal salvation would not be realized...

the inhabitants of the household would perish.

Later the body and blood of Jesus

would become the sacrificial offering.

The need for our body and soul to be fed would

now be more than just grains picked from a field.

The food which we use to nourish our body

 isn't sufficient to also nourish our soul.

It is the whole, unbroken body of our crucified Jesus,

which satisfies our hunger.

It is the pouring out of the Blood of Jesus

which satisfies our thirst.

In the upper room the night before Jesus was to die

he took bread and wine into his hands.

He offered these as himself.

He is the new sacrifice.

It is his Body and Blood which is given up for us...

He gives himself up for the atonement of our sins.

He feeds and blesses us in the middle of forgiving and saving us.

Or is it, In the middle of forgiving and saving us he feeds and blesses us?

These four things are brought to completion

in Jesus himself.

There is no longer the need or

 requirement to sacrifice the lambs and the goats.

Their blood will not save you now.

Only the Blood of Jesus Christ has the power to save.

When we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist

we are participating in our own salvation.

When we do not receive Holy Communion

it is equivalent to preparing the Passover meal

without placing the blood above your portal.

This the way to keep holy the Lord's day...

Come to the table...Be fed...

in flesh and blood.

May the Blood of Jesus keep you

 safe and free from all distress.

Blessed with the Sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the one who feeds us for eternal life.

~~~Peace~~~