Blood (3) Death of the Person

In the New Testament, the word “blood” is a shorthand way of referring to the death of a person. The following are just a few of the many instances.

The expression “blood of the prophets” refers to the prophets being killed.

Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets (Luke 11:50).

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar (Matthew 23:35).

When Judas told the Jewish leaders he had betrayed innocent blood, he was admitting that he contributed to Jesus’ death.

Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets (Luke 11:50).

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar (Matthew 23:35).

When Judas told the Jewish leaders he had betrayed innocent blood, he was admitting that he contributed to Jesus’ death.

I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood (Matthew 27:4).

Pilate said he was “innocent of Jesus’s blood”, as a way of claiming to be innocent of his death.

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood” (Matt 27:24).

The people said the Jesus blood was on them, to indicate that they were responsible for Jesus’ death.

All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25).

The Jewish leaders said Peter and James were trying to make them guilty of Jesus’ blood. They believed they were being accused of responsibility for his death.

You are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood (Acts 5:28).

The death of Stephen was referred to as his blood.

And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed (Acts 22:20)

The book of Revelation refers to the deaths of the martyrs as their blood (Rev 6:10).

In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth (Rev 18:24).

He has avenged on her the blood of his servants (Rev 19:2).

In all these verses from across the New Testament, the word “blood” refers to the death of a person.

The implication of this is that many of the references to blood in the New Testament refer to Jesus’ death, rather than to his blood as such.