THE INNOCENT BLOOD
Matthew 27:1 ¶ When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy (it’s actually Zechariah 11:13) the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
Although that word “The” is not in the original language in verse four of our text, we are using that word in our title. For Judas simply said, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” He was referring to the law of God, and not the God of the law! For God’s law strongly prohibited anyone from afflicting an innocent person! Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
Yet, we are desiring in this article to focus on THE most innocent blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Therefore our title is not quoting the 1611 King James Bible, but seeking to direct our hearts and minds upward to the life of God contained in the Holy Lamb! For when he shed his blood at Calvary, he was shedding the life of God!
For the life is in the blood. And His blood was provided by the Holy Spirit with God as His Father! Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Take careful notice of that Leviticus 17:13 verse. For in it is revealed a glimpse of God’s creation of Adam. For as the life of the flesh is in the blood, therefore when God breathed life into that form he had shaped, it started the life-giving blood to flow, and he covered it with the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Amazing!
And we know that blood spilt on the ground has a voice. And as soon as Cain slaughtered Abel, his blood cried out to God! Genesis 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And yet THE most pure and innocent blood has a far greater voice! Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. And the earth shall not be allowed to cover His blood insomuch that it shall silence His voice of witness. Isaiah 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
Therefore as Cain was not allowed to escape punishment due to the witness of the blood’s voice, even though no other human was present when he murdered his brother, so every single soul who has wasted the benefit of the Lamb’s blood, not being washed in it by faith, shall have it as witness against them in the last day! Hebrews 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
For even in this present time many are having damnation prepared to their souls, by not being spiritually washed in the blood of the Lamb as they, hypocritically, partake of the fruit of the vine in the Lord’s Supper! Deuteronomy 32:14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
1 Corinthians 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
O my! ‘Church-anity’ is condemning many souls on the broad way as they partake of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper without actually being washed in the blood of the Lamb! We don’t really know that many true Christians! We are merely aware of many church members and moral legalists! Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
These wear the sheep’s clothing, but have not the sheep’s nature! They have the nature of the dog, while practicing religious traditions! Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Revelation 22:15 For without are dogs, (that is, outside the membership of the true church) and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 2 Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Judas “repented himself” but found no true godly sorrow! Therefore the degree of his crime was made known to himself, insomuch that he threw down the pieces of silver in order to get rid of the evidence. But he, totally unlike the denier Peter, did not come back into the presence of the disciples to face his shame. For he tried to annihilate and eradicate his existence by hanging himself. Proverbs 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. 36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
The Lord Jesus interceded for Peter, but there is no record of his having done so for Judas. And without Christ’s intercession for one’s soul, there is no redemption! Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow! No other fount I know; Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Revelation 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
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