If you are like me, sometimes, while reading the Bible, something small and unexpected grabs your attention. It’s not what I was looking for—but it won’t let go of me. That’s how I recently stumbled into noticing three surprisingly ordinary things that appear again and again in Scripture: blood, sweat, and wood.
Together, they sound like the stuff of hard labor or maybe the name of a 70s rock band. But in the story of God, these three—blood, sweat, and wood—are not just physical materials or signs of hardship. They are sacred symbols, woven throughout the Bible, revealing the depth of God’s love and the shape of our salvation.
Blood: The Price of Forgiveness
Blood is a recurring theme in the Bible because it represents life—and the high cost of sin.
From the earliest chapters of Genesis, blood was tied to sacrifice. After Adam and Eve sinned, God clothed them with animal skins (Genesis 3:21)—implying the first death, the first shedding of blood, to cover their shame. Later, the entire system of worship in Israel was built around animal sacrifices, offered to atone for sin (Leviticus 17:11).
The message was clear: sin leads to death, and forgiveness requires life to be given.
But those sacrifices were never meant to be permanent. They pointed to something greater.
The New Testament tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). And yet it also proclaims something remarkable: “But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).
Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), shed His blood once—for all. His blood didn't just cover sin for a time—it cleansed it completely.
Sweat: The Cost of Obedience
Sweat first appears in Scripture as a consequence of sin. In Genesis 3:19, God tells Adam, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…”—a reminder that life in a fallen world would be marked by struggle, pain, and toil.
Sweat is the sign of effort—of real work and deep wrestling. That’s why it's so powerful to remember that Jesus Himself sweat in the moments before the cross.
In the garden of Gethsemane, as He prayed with intensity and anguish, Luke tells us: “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). The weight of the world’s sin wasn’t just physical; it was emotional, spiritual, crushing. And still, Jesus surrendered to the will of the Father: “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
Obedience, even for Jesus, came at a cost. And that reminds us: if you’re struggling to trust God or follow Him faithfully, you’re not alone. Jesus knows what it means to sweat under pressure, to pray in tears, to obey when it hurts. And He did it—for you.
Wood: The Ordinary Made Holy
The Bible is full of meaningful symbols, but none are more unexpectedly sacred than wood.
God used wood to build Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:14), which became a vessel of salvation. He used Moses’ wooden staff to perform wonders, part the sea, and lead a nation (Exodus 4:2–4, Exodus 14:16). The Ark of the Covenant, built from acacia wood (Exodus 25:10), was the very place where God’s presence dwelled.
And ultimately, the cross—the most recognizable symbol of Christian faith—was made of two rough beams of wood. Not gold. Not stone. Just ordinary timber, splintered and stained.
That wood, lifted high on a hill, held the body of Jesus as He bore the weight of the world’s sin (1 Peter 2:24). What was once a symbol of torture became a symbol of triumph.
In God’s hands, even wood becomes holy.
An Extraordinary Message in Ordinary Things
Blood - Sweat - Wood - three simple, tangible things we might overlook in daily life. And yet, together, they carry the entire story of our salvation:
Blood shows us the depth of God’s mercy.
Sweat reveals the pain and perseverance of obedience.
Wood becomes the altar where love and justice meet.
It’s no wonder that Jesus chose ordinary bread and wine—common elements—to represent His body and blood. He takes the simple and makes it sacred. He enters our world of blood, sweat, and wood—and redeems it with His love.
So the next time you come to the Lord’s table, or you find yourself sweating through a hard day, or you look at something plain and wooden—remember: God is still in the business of transforming the ordinary into something eternal.
