Matthew 27

I stood at a distance with the other women, watching Jesus die. The smell of blood is in the air. Passover lambs being slaughtered and the Lamb of God dying. The law being kept in the shadow of grace flowing from the veins of God.

Blood is in the air and it means something to everyone.

Pilate, you washed your hands of the guilt of killing the innocent. How ironic that the very blood you washed your hands of was the only thing that could have washed away your guilt.

Pharisee, you killed the Lamb of God and then sacrificed your own lamb. You thought that the death of the One secured your prideful position before men, and the death of the other secured your humble position before God. How ironic, Pharisee, that the opposite was true.

Disciples, you left everything to follow, to be with Him. He was Messiah and His coming gave you hope and now He has died and your hope along with Him. Do you see the irony now, disciples? He left everything to be with you and your only hope is in His death.

Blood is in the air and isn’t it ironic? We wash our hands and kill a lamb and find hope in what we can see and touch. Our hands look clean but we ignore our hearts and we make our sacrifice while refusing His. We put our trust in what we see but we are blind.

I watch the rich man put His body in a tomb. Dead. Buried. Those who hated Him sighed relief, those who loved Him wept grief. The lambs were dead and the Lamb was buried. Sins had been taken and punishment given. Pilate sealed the tomb and posted guards and now the Pharisees could rest easy. While Mary weeps at the grave of the One she loves.

Her heart breaks in despair over the same death that makes mine beat with joy. Mary, don’t you know? What good is forgiveness if the grave keeps the Forgiver? Or the forgiven? Stay here, Mary. Watch with me. Because I know that today, blood is in the air.

But soon, that stone will roll out of His way.

And then we will sing…

He took my mourning and turned it into dancing;

He took my weeping and turned it into laughing;

He took my mourning and turned it into dancing;

He took my sadness and turned it into joy!