BLOODY HANDS

Years ago my wife Jean's admonition painted a thought-picture in my mind.

Even now as this thought fills my mind again I feel dread and shame. Yet, I must let the words flow. I must face them for I have done this.

Will you follow the words with me?

The wounded warrior stumbles his way to the cross.

“Father, forgive me for I have sinned,” is his contrite plea.

And one more time the Blood avails. He is forgiven. His sins, his wounds—some of them self-inflicted though they be—are under the Atoning Blood of God’s own Son covering the sin.

Angels rejoice.

Many men rejoice.

But some do not.

“How can he get off that easy?” the doubters and haters and pious pretenders say.
“And look at her. Everyone knows what she has done. If He were God He’d know what she is and not let her wash His feet. “What a show—crocodile tears and that dramatic gesture of drying His feet with her hair…”

Quoting David the Psalmist, Paul talked about the covering of sins saying, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”

Covered by the Blood, Jesus’ Blood.

Come carefully with me into the next thought.

Confessed sin is under the Blood, It’s why Jesus’ died. If his or her sin is covered by the Blood, that means I must reach through the Blood to bring it back into the open and to remember it against the forgiven one.

Now look at my hands. Your hands.

They are now Blood-stained with the very Blood that covered the repenter’s sins.

Who can bear such guilt? Help us, Lord to never again have Bloody hands.

Cry out the Psalmist’s words with me, “Deliver me from Bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.