plead the blood
You know the song by Cody Carnes “Plead the Blood”? I’m sure many of you have, it’s a very well-known song. I was listening to it the other day and began to question what the phrase “plead the blood of Jesus” really meant. If you had asked me if I knew what it meant I probably would’ve said yes, but it would’ve been a surface-level answer. So I did a bit of a deep dive into what pleading the blood of Jesus really means.
Jesus has offered us the ultimate plea, the ultimate gift of protection. He suffered & bore a painful death so that we could be covered in the blood of Jesus. We are guilty of sin but because of Jesus, we are innocent in the cover of His blood.
Pleading the blood of Jesus is typically used under the belief that it’s a ticket to get whatever we want. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. We’ve not earned it, it was given to us by Jesus because of His love for us. It’s a phrase of protection and surrender. It’s declaring the power that Jesus has over Satan & his schemes.
Exodus 12 tells the story of the tenth plague passing over Egypt. The Lord instructed Moses and Aaron to tell the people of Isreal to take a lamb and on the fourteenth day of the month kill the lamb. Then they were instructed to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel of their house. Then in Exodus 12:12-13, He says “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
This is a beautiful illustration of what it means to plead the blood of Jesus. Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb of God because God gave Jesus to be killed for our sins. He was the ultimate sacrifice. In the story of the tenth plague, they use the blood of a lamb to protect their firstborn child. It’s an illustration of how the blood of Jesus covers us in protection. Not because we deserve it but because we have a Father who has a love for us that is deeper than we’ll ever be able to comprehend.
Revelation 12:11 says “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” This scripture speaks of the victory over Satan. The blood overcame Satan’s accusations. The accusations mean nothing against us because Jesus has already paid the penalty our sins deserved. The blood speaks to the real physical death of Jesus Christ on our behalf. And the blood of the Lamb that is spoken about in Revelation 12:11 emphasizes the substitutionary work of His death because the Passover Lamb died in the place of the firstborn in Exodus 12.
Pleading the blood of Jesus is not a way to automatically get what we want, it's not a magical phrase. It’s a phrase of surrender to God. It’s a phrase of protection. You are covered by the blood, nothing can take that from you. It’s understanding that we are not deserving of anything, yet we serve a God who loves us so deeply that he would offer the ultimate sacrifice– His son.
‘Cause my future is glory to glory
And my freedom’s been purchased in full
For all of the weight of his suffering
The Lamb will receive his reward
I plead the blood
I plead the blood of Jesus
It’s more than enough
I plead the blood of Jesus
Plead the Blood -Cody Carnes
