8 blood points to the cross
Recently, while in intercessory prayer, the triune God through the Holy Spirit opened up my eyes to a powerful truth, namely, "The Eight Blood Points to the Cross.” I don't know about you, but when I think of the blood which Jesus shed for me, I rejoice in the blood shed at the cross! However, the Lord showed me that my vision was limited! There were so many other places that He suffered and shed His blood.
Christ’s blood was not only shed on the cross; it was first shed in the garden of Gethsemane where great drops mixed with sweat dripped to the ground as He agonized over the decision He had to make! Scientists have proven that though rare, it is possible for someone to so be in agony that blood capillaries will break, allowing blood and sweat to mix. The blood which was shed in the garden is what I call the “first blood point”, where the most precious substance that this world had ever seen, Jesus’ sinless blood, dripped down on this sin filled planet!
Secondly, the Bible says that as he was brought before Caiaphas the high priest he was "buffeted", which means he was punched in the face while they mocked and spit on Him! Severe punching no doubt produced blood, perhaps from his lips. Although no bones were broken, He still could have had a bloody nose. This was the next blood point. Once again His sinless blood dripped to this polluted planet’s surface. Thirdly, they made a crown of thorns and rammed it down on His head, as they continued to mock Him by sarcastically calling Him the "King of the Jews". This being blood point number three. Once again, the priceless precious sinless blood dripped down on the ground of the world that he was called to save.
Next, I think of the blood point of the blood that was on the garment that they ripped from His body and gambled over it! Many Times when I am praying I envision myself covered with the blood-stained garment of Jesus. Oh what a price the second Adam, our Lord Jesus paid for our sins! Blood point number four was as they threw this bloody garment to the ground, to cast lots over it. Number five, I think of the fact that as He was strapped to a whipping post. We know that the Romans' whip laid 39 stripes upon his back because history says that Roman law prevented them from going over 40 because 40 or more would either kill people or drive them into insanity from the pain. Blood point number five is that blood, from the Roman whips lashes, would have literally have been splattered everywhere including upon the soldiers themselves. Blood would've been running profusely out of his back down on the ground and all over that area.
Oh the precious blood of Jesus and the precious body that it ran out of! We don’t fully grasp why He had to shed so much blood, in so many places, but we need to realize that it needed to be enough to cover the sins of the whole world!
Blood point number six occurred as an old rugged cross, hand hewn out of a tree, with splinters and rough edges, was placed on His shredded back. He was forced to carry that cross up what is called the road named the Via Delarosa, which translated literally means the way of suffering! The actual street is made up large cobblestones. The Bible says that as He stumbled under the weight of the cross a man called Simon the Cyrene, an African man from Ethiopia, helped Him carry it the rest of the way. Without a doubt before Simon intervened, as Christ kept stumbling and falling under the weight of the cross that His knees were scraped, bruised, and cut? Can you envision the bleeding of His knees on the stones of that rough road leaving a trail to the place He was about to be crucified?
Blood point number seven happened when He arrived at Golgotha's Hill or the "Place of the Skull." He was nailed to the cross with three nails which tradition indicates were six inches long! The blood would have run once again profusely down his arms and legs. It would have soaked into the dirt and mingled with the sun-dried blood of criminals who had been crucified there before him. Most people do not realize how much time passed after they erected the cross and dropped it into the pocket in the stone. He hung on those three nails for six hours before He died! The movies recreate the story and we watch the crucifixion for about five minutes then the scene changes! However, for six long hours He hung naked in the heat of the sun with His full body weight on three huge nails! "It was the third hour when they hung him on the cross and at the ninth hour he gave up the ghost!” Mark 15:25 and verses 34-37 (KJV). His precious blood and the only blood we think about is the blood that ran down the cross and fell in the dirt of this stone cold planet, and it fell for the sins of the world!
Lastly, a Roman soldier was instructed to run a spear up through His side into His heart! The Bible says that when he did this, blood and water gushed out. Blood point number eight was the blood that rushed down the soldier’s spear onto himself, and on the earth beneath his feet. We must understand that every ounce of the blood of Jesus’ body came out during the multiple stages of suffering up to and on the cross. Though seemingly it all fell onto the dirt on eight different unimportant pieces of real estate, nevertheless, in the spirit realm, it was enough to cover the sins of all mankind forever!
