A few years ago, a high school kid reported a murder. He said an unknown suspect broke into his home and shot his mother. He claimed the man used their family-owned shotgun to murder her and then fled the scene. The suspect then ditched the gun in the sewer drain outside and disappeared into the night. At first, we all had a problem with this story.  

Everyone suspected the kid shot the mom. We believed the ‘unknown suspect” story was fabricated. There was, however, this pesky little problem with the evidence. Outside the victim’s front door, a trail of blood drops led down the sidewalk to several other houses in the neighborhood. And…the kid wasn’t bleeding.

           Physical evidence has no agenda or opinion; it just is. The blood trail gave the kid’s far-fetched story some validity. From the evidence, it appeared that someone ran down the sidewalk bleeding, stopping at the front door of at least two other houses. If the kid’s story proved true, we had a major criminal on the loose.

           However, the fear of a serial killer was short-lived. A phone call to the first responders on scene revealed the source of the blood drops. The culprit was our own tracking K-9. Deputies brought the dog to the scene to search for the suspect. But the dog bit its tongue and slobbered a perfect trail of blood as it sniffed its way along the sidewalk. The K9 handler had forgotten to mention this little detail earlier. A subsequent doggie DNA blood test came back a positive match to our own K9. In the end, the kid confessed to his mother’s murder.

The blood we found on the neighbors’ doorsteps reminded me of the Jewish Passover. During their exodus from Egyptian bondage, God sent a plague on the entire nation. But He also provided a refuge to avoid death. Everyone who covered their door with the blood of a sacrificed lamb escaped judgment. When the death angel saw the blood, he passed over that home.

Today, we find eternal safety in a similar way. The blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, is our refuge from spiritual death and judgment. When God’s judgment comes, His promise remains true: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13) “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

“This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Jesus) Matthew 26:28