Buffy | weeklydevotion

Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from their people.’” Leviticus 7:27

For the past several weeks Jan and I have been watching the 90s/00s cult favorite show “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.”

It’s our third time.

The show may or may not be your cup of comedy/horror/drama, but we tend to rank it as some of the most clever writing ever on TV. I’m not recruiting new fans, so don’t go snooping on my account. I just wanted to explain why I’ve got vampires on the brain. (on the neck?)

In the show, vampires are evil. Mostly. They are undead creatures that literally suck the life out of their victims. I am convinced that you and I have some vampire in us. I’ve never met someone who doesn’t. In our most unhealthy moments we can leech other people’s energy and power. We’re needy like that.

I can recall a dating relationship from my high school and college days. I could never figure out why we stayed together so long. We always fought, we weren’t compatible. We didn’t even much like each other. She’d hurt me, and I’d hurt her. It wasn’t healthy, but for some reason we just kept feeding off each other. It was a bloody mess.

In my later life, there were times when I felt weak, helpless, and powerless. Instead of asking for help or reaching out, I found myself manipulating people to my own ends, unhealthily trying to steal their trust and energy. I’ve scared a few people away that way.

Think about the energy flow between you and others. Who gets fed from the relationship, and who leaves feeling a quart low? When a healthy balance of give and take doesn’t exist, who is feeding on you, or who do you find yourself stealing life from?

In Leviticus, we learn about ancient Israel’s system of sacrifice, in this case, a pigeon:

The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. –Leviticus 1:15

This was how people dealt with their sins and deficiencies, by splashing the blood of an animal against the altar, and barbecuing the meat as an offering to God. All the way up through the time of Jesus, this was the practice. We look at this as an archaic and perhaps misguided practice, but instead of stealing an animal’s blood and energy, today we tend to steal each others.

Do you think this pleases God? Not at all. No more than killing animals as an empty sacrifice did. Blood, more than anything, must be associated with life. God given, precious life. To misuse another’s life is to deny God’s purpose and power.

The next time you feel that unholy thirst to take what isn’t yours, look at the cross. It repels vampires, after all. And as for blood?

Jesus is offering his for free.

Have a great week,

Mitch