Marked by the Blood of Christ

Pilate judged Christ to be righteous, yet the Jews cried out for his crucifixion. To them, He was guilty of blasphemy for calling Himself God.

The irony is that they had painted themselves into a corner. How would they ever be able to acknowledge the true Messiah so long as they believed that the claim to be such constituted a capital offense?

Since Christ's claim was in fact true, there was no sin in it at all. Yet the false accusation set up the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that Messiah would be put to death for His people's sin, all the while they mistakenly thought He suffered at God's hand for His own guiltiness.

So they falsely condemned Him to death, and then concluded He was judged for His own sin!

But in reality, Christ was His own executioner, for He willingly laid down His life in satisfaction of the just penalty for His people's sin.

The Jews cried out that His blood should be upon their hands, and so it ever shall be for all mankind. For sinners bear the blood-guiltiness of the sacrifice that they trample under foot by their unbelief. The Saints, on the other hand, always bear the mark of Christ's blood upon them, for they are washed in that blood of all their guilty stains.

God sees that blood and knows that our sin's guilt has been satisfied in that very blood of His Dear Son!

That is why we are not ashamed of that blood, but love to recall it, and to revel in its power, and to commemorate it in the celebration of the Lord's Table of Communion.

For it is the blood in which all our guilt and shame were forever expunged at Calvary! It is in that blood that we boldly stand before a Holy God, knowing we are free of all stain!