Last week I did something I haven’t done in almost 40 years.  You may have guessed from the picture that I did, indeed, donate blood.  There was a blood drive sponsored by our local Christian radio station, and I decided it was time for me to step back up to this plate.

Back in 1983, my job with Northwestern Bell transferred me to St. Paul, Minnesota and, for a couple of days, there was a mobile unit set up in the parking lot of the control center where I worked.  Donating to a worthy cause seemed like the right thing to do and I willingly went through the process.

While I did have the obligatory juice and crackers after the donation, I made the naïve mistake of standing out on a blistering hot parking lot on a 90+ degree day in August, chatting with one of my supervisors.

With very little warning, I was overcome by the heat, made so much worse by my weakened condition.  I passed out briefly as everyone scrambled to get me back inside to the air conditioning and bring me lots of water and, yea, chocolate!

But I did not recover quickly from this.  I felt sick for hours, despite being only in my mid-twenties.  You know, that invincible age! 

But for the next 39 years, I chose not to go down that road again because the memory of that event stayed fresh in my mind.  Add to that the fact that I’m not a big fan of needles or blood! So, thanks, but no thanks.

I have no big revelation as to why I chose to donate last Friday.  I just did. That’s not the topic of this post.  The topic is, however, related to blood!

Part of the marketing for this blood drive said that for every person who donated blood, three lives could be saved.  That was a powerful statement and it got me thinking about the life-saving quality of our blood.

When my husband, Dale, suffered through a months-long GI bleed back in 2013, he received many units of “fresh frozen plasma.”  His life was likely saved through the kindness of multiple donors, for which I’m incredibly grateful.

As I reclined in a room full of other donors, up close and personal with the process of blood donation last week, my mind couldn’t help but be drawn to a comparison of the blood sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. 

But the comparison breaks down pretty quickly.  My “sacrifice” was a relatively small amount of my blood, and about an hour of my time.  And the resulting benefit of that sacrifice was the potential to save three lives.  That’s not a small thing.  But just how does it compare to Jesus’ sacrifice?

Before we look at the magnitude of that sacrifice, I want to share a quick recap of the back story of biblical sacrifice.  In Hebrews 9:22 it says, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”  It’s why so much of the Old Testament talks about animal sacrifice.  Always hard for me to read, but I understand the necessity of it.

When Jesus came to earth as fully God and fully man, his ultimate mission was to be that “once and for all” sacrifice that meant animal sacrifices were no longer necessary.   He died on the cross, shedding his blood for us, and becoming the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins.

So, what is our part in this?  Romans 10:9-10 makes it clear: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

So now, let’s talk about how these two blood sacrifices compare.  While I wouldn’t call the potential saving of three lives meager by any means, especially to their loved ones, it’s a small drop in a small bucket compared to what Jesus attained for all who believe in him.

And my little hour sacrifice is virtually nothing compared to Jesus losing his life for us, and taking the penalty for our collective sins. 

I have no idea how many people down through the ages, and yet to come, have or will put their faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, but it’s got to be in the millions.  Unlike my blood donation, Jesus didn’t just save us from this earthly death, only to die another day.  Oh no, he has saved us for an ETERNITY with him in the presence of God Almighty.

It’s mind blowing!

I’m grateful that God impressed this comparison upon me as I sat in that large room last week. Maybe that’s why he had me curtail this self-imposed period of “donation abstinence!”  Regardless, it was a reminder to me of how precious this gift is, and what it cost our Savior who freely offers it to us.

What will YOU do with his offer to you?

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood,

much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Romans 5:8-9