His blood cries out

After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God told him,

Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!” (10)

Abel’s blood cried for justice.

So God told Cain,

“…now you are cursed…” (11)

And Cain had to depart from the presence of the Lord. (14, 16)

Thousands of years later, another innocent man died. Jesus died on a cross though he had done nothing wrong. But the writer of Hebrews tells us this:

Instead, you have come…to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. (12:22-24)

While Abel’s blood cried out for justice, Jesus’ blood cried out for grace.

And so God looks at us and says, “My Son’s blood cries out to me from the ground. So now you are blessed. The curse has been lifted. And by his blood, you have been forgiven.”

So the writer of Hebrews encourages us,

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:19-23)