April 7, 2007
Written In Blood
READ: Galatians 6:11-18
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. —Galatians 6:14
In the twisted wreckage of a Metrolink train crash, firefighters from Los Angeles Fire Station 27 found a message that brought tears to their eyes. A survivor of the crash, thinking he was dying, had used his own blood to write on the seat in front of him that he loved his wife and kids.
Normally, we use the words “written in blood” in a less literal way. It usually conveys a willingness to stand behind our words with our life.
As Paul ended his letter to the Galatians, he was, in a figurative sense, writing his story in blood. He wrote a message of love and grace that would arouse the anger of other religious leaders. He knew he would be hated for honoring the death of Christ above the ritual and moral law of Israel. He would be punished for teaching that Christ’s death and resurrection were more important than the law of circumcision that represented the whole Mosaic way of life. His suffering for Christ would literally include shedding his own blood (2 Cor. 11:23-25).
Paul wasn’t willing to play it safe. He knew the crucifixion of Jesus was the center page of history. Putting his own life on the line, Paul proclaimed the inexpressible heart of God, who gave His Son to express the ultimate words of love, written in blood at the cross.
Upon a cross of shame,
With pen divine, all dipped in blood,
“Forgiven in Jesus’ name.” —Bosch
