Precious Blood of Jesus

Precious Blood of Jesus,

Part VII

“The Blood of Christ is His sacrifice applied to us, it enters the souls of the redeemed, it is the inexhaustible source of all heroism.” St. John the Pope XXIII.

Matthew 23:34–35 (NJB): This is why—look—I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some you will slaughter and crucify, some you will scourge in your synagogues and hunt from town to town; 35 and so you will draw down on yourselves the blood of every upright person that has been shed on earth, from the blood of Abel the holy to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Jesus was warning the Pharisees and Scribes about their behavior and attitudes toward the Prophets, as many of them were slaughtered in the years leading up to Christ. He foresees his own condemnation, which will lead to death. He is referring to Abel and how he was slaughtered by his own brother. He claims that has happened since the beginning of the world and concludes by mentioning Zachariah, son of Barachiah, who died. There was nothing left to say concerning the actions of Jews, particularly the Scribes and Pharisees, which went against God's design. They violated God's Words, condemning and executing His prophets and holy people.