Dr. Henry Heimlich is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives with his eponymous maneuver. Norman Bourlag preserved hundreds of millions of lives by developing drought-resistant grains. For Karl Landsteiner, the tally of lives saved rises to more than one billion, due to his discovery of blood types. John the Baptist, however, was concerned with drawing attention to just one Man, who he was convinced could improve and save countless lives. He identified Him as the Lamb of God. The Apostle Peter agreed with John and testified to the “precious blood of Christ.”
In the days of Moses, ancient Egypt became obsessed with blood when all the water in the land was changed to blood. In Exodus 12 there was a new call concerning blood. Moses revealed that God was demanding the sacrifice of a lamb as a substitute for the first-born of the household. And so everyone who received and believed the word of the Lord brought a spotless lamb to be slain between the evenings on the 14th day of the first month. As the meat roasted with bitter herbs and without water, exposed to the full force of the flames, a drama unfolded outside. Perhaps the first-born son watched as his father dipped hyssop in a basin of blood and painted it on the side posts and above the door. Later that night, that first-born son enjoyed the feast behind the safety of the applied blood, even as a storm of judgment passed overhead. His reassuring family was close by, yet in other parts of the land a cry went up in unprotected households that had refused the word of God.
John the Baptist knew that God was appointing a lamb, not just for the first-born or for the household, but rather for the nation and for the world. Just as a first-born son in Exodus 12 would point to the blood on the door as his assurance of salvation, so John pointed to Jesus as the Lord and Christ who could offer safety and certainty. Similarly, we point you to Christ, God’s appointed Lamb, as the remedy for your sin. The Lord Jesus met John’s expectations and fulfilled the Word of God with His death. His private years under the eye of God and His public years of ministry before the nation both attested to His spotless, sinless person. He was slain between the evenings on the 14th day of the first month (Passover). He bore the full force of God’s judgment for sin. Isaiah wrote of Him as “a lamb to the slaughter” and added, “the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” and “Thou [God] shalt make His soul an offering for sin” (Isa 53:6,7,10 KJV).
The Scriptures leave no doubt as to the person of Christ! Have you obeyed the Word of God? Has that precious blood been applied by faith to your life? Recent scientific reports speak to the discovery of a technique to make blood safe for all recipients, regardless of blood type. In other words, the essential value of Karl Landsteiner’s work is diminishing. On the authority of the Word of God, we would make clear to you that the value of the precious blood of Christ need never and will never be diminished.
