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Today’s blog post will address a question I have been asked by several blog readers lately: what’s the esoteric significance of Jesus having to shed his blood on the cross? Some have expressed their concerns over giving up the belief that this happened literally, even if there is a good esoteric reason. I understand this fear. I have been through it myself. This blog post should help alleviate this fear, as well as provide relevant information to help you move forward with a better understanding of Christ’s purpose in the scriptures, and therefore your purpose.

In one sense, Christianity is a beautiful religion. I remember communion, Sunday school, Christmas programs, beautiful hymns and choir music, and even the wonderful Christmas plays and Sunday afternoon barbeques on the Church lawn. Those kinds of memories still make me feel good. However, the true meaning and intent in the narrative of Christ, as well as his final sacrifice of bloodshed on the cross, has lost its true potential and power because we have misinterpreted it. I would even venture to say that most Christians are asleep to this potential and power within them because they have given all that conscious power away. So what of Jesus’ blood? What did the original authors want us to walk away with after reading such a story?

Mainstream Christianity’s false assumption

Mainstream Christianity teaches that the Old Testament required animal blood sacrifices for temporary atonement until Christ came. Christ’s blood sacrifice rests upon this Old Testament understanding.  But we have a fundamental problem with this theology; the Old Testament doesn’t teach that blood sacrifices were necessary for atonement. Quite the contrary. In Leviticus chapter 5 God states that those who are too poor to afford a bullock could bring two turtledoves for a sin offering. Then he declares:

“But if his means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering…” (Leviticus 5:11).

As you can see, the poor didn’t need a blood sacrifice. An offering of flour was sufficient. In the next example, atonement came from burning incense.

“And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and go quickly into the congregation, and make atonement for them” (Numbers 16:46).

And check out the following example from the book of Hosea. Rendering service from the mouth even seemed to suffice.

“Take with your words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so we will render the calves of our lips” (Hosea 14:2).

Below are a few other scriptures that contradict an omnipotent God needing blood sacrifices.

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged…” (Proverbs 16:6).

“…I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats” (Isaiah 1:11).

“Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams…shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what the LORD doth require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:7-8).

“For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).

“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3).

My argument here isn’t that the Old Testament didn’t allow blood sacrifices to cover for sin. My argument is that the Old Testament writings don’t portray an omnipotent being that needs a blood sacrifice to cover for sin. That is a human invention. Another human invention is the idea that God’s son needed to shed literal blood in order for God to forgive humanity.

Carl Jung once stated that blood has a powerful effect upon the human psyche. And it does. That is the reason many spiritually primitive cultures engaged in this practice. The institutional church that promulgated the literal blood sacrifice of Christ as something that God needed to save humanity is part of this primate idea. How does literal blood remove a fault of someone else, anyway? The entire concept is quite silly.

Many Christians do not even consider the biggest conundrum of all: Ezekiel states that a millennial temple will usher back in blood sacrifice with the messiah leading it! If Jesus were really the once-and-for-all atonement of mankind, why would he need to lead blood sacrifices again? There are so many conundrums to blood sacrifice in the Bible it will make your head spin!

The truth is that neither the Old nor New Testament was ever meant to be literal; the real intent behind the story of Christ, including his bloodshed, is dramatically beautiful, not barbaric!

Jesus the ultimate sun god

If you really want to understand the story of Jesus’ sacrifice, you must see how he is connected with the sun first. It’s absolutely stunning. We’re going to start with a statement made by the Apostle Paul to build a foundation.

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Paul is stating that everyone should know God through the manifest things of nature. As you’ll see in a moment, this is especially true when talking about the celestial bodies, and, more specifically, the sun.

Both God and Jesus are described as the sun in many scriptures.

“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire…” (Deut. 4:24).

“For the LORD your God is a sun and shield” (Psalms 84:11).

 “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness…” (Luke 1:78-79).

In the scripture above, the Greek work for “dayspring” means “sunrise.”

“…I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Rev. 22:16).

“…until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds (like the sun), and every eye will see him…” (Rev. 1:22).

Now remember that Paul told us God’s eternal power and godhead can be understood by the physically manifested world. One of the most important symbols to ancient spiritualists was the sun, and, as you have already seen, Jesus is compared with it. But why the sun?

The “son” and the “sun” both follow the same cycle of death and rebirth in a beautiful manifestation of how consciousness operates in a never-ending cycle.

Consider that from earth’s perspective the sun rises and sets each day. It metaphorically dies at night and resurrects with each new dawn. At a broader level it does the same thing each solar year. As we approach the winter solstice, its power and light become weaker upon the earth. For three days during the winter solstice the sun stops moving further north or south as it traverses the sky and it can be said to die for these three days. About Christmas-time the sun is born anew and begins to bring new life to the earth. The son of God is the same story as he died for three days and then resurrected. The number three as symbolized by Christ’s and the sun’s metaphorical death is the same holy number that reflects the holiness in you. We are a trinity of spirit, soul, and body manifesting on the physical plane. So what we need to realize about the story of Christ and the cycle of nature is that they reflect what’s true about you!

When you crucify the ego you align the spirit, soul, and body correctly. This brings new life just like the sun after the winter solstice. It brings new life just like Jesus after the resurrection.

Is it just Christ that’s compared to the sun, or is it you, too?

Consider that the sun provides the energy for all life on earth. Consciousness, the real you, does too. The sun is a big ball of light. You, as consciousness, are light, too. The sun shines its light for the whole earth to see. You, as consciousness, are supposed to shine your light (through love) for the benefit of the whole world.

It’s up to you to take the journey to realize that you are the Christ, the “light,” and have always been. This whole process is summed up in a scripture from Malachi as it describes the future messiah:

“But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings…” (Mal. 4:2).

I hope that last scripture and picture gives you new meaning.

As we grow from childhood we experience the ego. We are supposed to manifest the Christ within us by crucifying our own ego and being resurrected into new life as we grow old and mature. Ancient cultures around the world understood this entire process from birth to death very well. We are disconnected to it because war-like nations such as Roman Empire crushed this knowledge. Then we went through the Dark Ages, completely loss the knowledge, and now we have the technological age that has left us spiritually destitute.

So what about blood?

The Bible states that physical life is in the blood. Our entire story then is told in the literal life of Christ. But this does not mean that we are to interpret Christ’s story literally.

We are not saved by believing in the Christ. We are saved by becoming the Christ!

Consider the imagery. Christ was crucified. His side was pierced. The blood would have run down his body and then the very ancient symbol called the cross that he was crucified on. The cross represents the vertical symbol of consciousness being staked across the horizontal symbol of the material plane. It is in the physical body then that consciousness realizes itself!

Flesh and Bone rather than Flesh and Blood

In the resurrection story Jesus came back in a physical body. However, it wasn’t made of flesh and blood. He specifically stated it was “flesh and bone.”

“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39).

The words “flesh and blood” represents the mortal, natural man. The body of “flesh and bone” represents the new spiritual man. Consider another scripture.

“The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory…It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:42-44).

When you study the Greek words for “spiritual body,” it simply means a spirit-controlled body. The above scripture has nothing to do with you physically dying and then God magically resurrecting you years later. It just means that the resurrection, which happens in this life while here on earth, takes place after crucifying the ego. Therefore Christ’s blood being spilled is symbolic of the death of the ego and the new life that comes from a spirit-controlled body.

How does this knowledge help us?

This information gives us the knowledge to truly understand the story of Christ. Christ is not a literal 2000 year-old man, he is you! Now take up your cross daily and wield the spirit-controlled body you were meant to!