Blood's Thick

I remember when my kids were younger. They'd fight with one another, as we parents tried to help them realize that some of their most important and lifelong relationships would be with their siblings. They may not have treasured each other then, but look out if someone from outside the family hurt one of our three musketeers. 

It was similar to a scene in a show I once saw, after the eldest brother had beaten up his younger sibling’s bully. At the end of the altercation, he turned to his brother and loudly declared, “I’m your brother, and I’m the only one who can beat you up!” 

Yes, blood’s thick.

The passing of Easter got me thinking about the gravity of what Jesus spilling His blood for us really meant. In a way, He acted like that older brother when his sibling was being bullied. Jesus offered up His greatest protection for not only his earthly siblings, but for all of us. He willing allowed His own blood to be spilled so that we don’t have to pay a penalty for our own sins.

Being fully man, as well as fully God, I somehow imagine Jesus’ blood was the thickest ever.

His last words on the cross were ‘It is finished’. The Greek word for those three English words is tetelestai. Interestingly, this one word encompasses more than one meaning.

In that time, it meant that a debt was paid in full. But it was also used in a judicial context when jail time, or a sentence, had been fully served. It was used in the military too, when a battle had been victoriously won.

When Jesus cried out, "Tetelestai," he was declaring three things:

1. The debt is fully paid. 

2. The judgment for sin is entirely served. 

3. Victory has been won over death, sin, and Satan. 

It IS Finished! 

If we believe in what He did on that cross, we’re inside the family of God. We’re forgiven, protected and shielded by what Jesus did for us. That’s some thick blood.

Sometimes, when I gaze in the mirror, I wonder why He loves me—the hypocrite, the woman with a too-porous filter, the doubter, the person who becomes quickly overwhelmed and impatient, and the one who has sometimes strayed. Why would He save me? 

My answer: it has nothing to do with me. It’s all about Him and what He did on that cross, and it’s about the miracle that happened three days later. Talk about a victory!

We recently celebrated Easter—the reminder of this great event. May we every day reflect on His incredible sacrifice for our freedom, and thank Him for the thick blood He spilled for our redemption. 

 God is so good.

With love and prayers,

Pattie Janzen

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*A special thank you to Josh Howerton, Senior Pastor of Lakepointe Church, for his thorough explanation of the word Tetelestai.