Is the blood of Jesus impotent or what?

CHRISTIANITY IS a religious movement at the centre of which is the profound belief that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was sent to save the world from sin. Thus, the essence of Christianity is underpinned by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Jesus is part of the divine godhead, the others being The Father (God Himself) and the Holy Spirit. Christians believe He allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross at Calvary in Jerusalem, to redeem humanity, to save the world from sin. He was resurrected three days after he died and ascended to Heaven. He will return to Earth for his second coming, they are convinced.

His blood was not spilled in vain; it is to cleanse, redeem, to protect against evil and wickedness. And it is not uncommon in Jamaica to hear people pleading the ‘blood of Jesus’ and for Jesus to intercede in matters that are beyond their control. Jesus and His blood, therefore, are intercessors. Yet, the blood seems to be devoid of redemptive values.

Many people are contending that, since the spilling of Jesus’ blood by way of the crucifixion, the world has been in a grip of wickedness and evil, wars, rumours of war, and much bloodshed, like the one that is now taking place in Palestine/Israel, widely referred to as The Holy Land, where Jews, Gentiles, Arabs and Christians have been killing one another for centuries after that poignant moment at Golgotha.

Thus, did Jesus put a curse on the world for what the Roman did to Him? Is the blood of Jesus not as powerful as Christians believe it is? Where is Jesus in all of this?

Bishop O’Neil Miller of the Apostolic Sabbath Church in Golden Hill, St Andrew said the curse was from in the beginning when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. “It’s from Adam’s days, Adam’s fall from grace,” he remarked. And, from that time, God regretted making man. He cursed Adam by telling him that from the sweat of his brow he would eat bread.

The Devil, in the form of a serpent, was also condemned when Jesus said to the serpent,“You shall crawl on your belly and dust shall you eat for the rest of your life … Yes, it is a curse, the world is cursed.” Yet, after Jesus was crucified, He forgave His tormenters and killers. “The woman said, ‘Let his blood be upon our shoulders and our children’s children,' but Jesus said, 'Forgive them for they know not what they have done,’ ” Bishop Miller said.

And why is He taking so long to redeem the world? “God is God. He’s waiting for the appointed time,” was the terse response. It is a typical response to the question of 'where is Jesus in all of this? It is not a comforting response for those who want an immediate stop to all the misery, pain and torment that is so much a part of their lives.

To the second question, a Brethren Church member said, “Jesus is all-powerful. He took on the form of a lamb in order to eliminate the need for previous blood sacrifices and make Himself available forever. If a lamb were offered as a sacrifice for the whole globe, how many lambs would be needed? Jesus' blood is so potent, it can atone for the sins of the past, present, and future of the world.”

He continued, “According to the abundance of His grace, Ephesians 1:7 states, ‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.’ God is able to pardon us for our transgressions because Christ took our penalty and bled His blood. The blood functions still.”

It is ironic that, in the region where the crucifixion is said to have taken place, there is so much bloodletting in a conflict that is as much about religion as it is about land, land that is said to been bequeathed by God Himself. Was the ultimate sacrifice in vain, mere religious rhetoric to placate fears and inspire hope, or a fictitious narrative set in a real place? For, what has been happening since then is totally the opposite of what it was intended to achieve.