The New Covenant in My Blood

Luke 22:1-38

Key Verse 22:20

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

In this passage Jesus dramatically illustrates [through his communion service] God's glorious plan to restore all believers back to the relationship with Him through Jesus' sacrifice.

First, its purpose

In a recent Samsung TV commercial, there is a beautiful lady holding ice cream in a cone watching a Samsung 40 inch LCD HDTV. She is so mesmerized that she does not know that the ice cream is melting and dripping down onto the floor. The commercial says, “Imagine the world’s most beautiful TV…a glossy piano-black or pearl-white finish. A striking silhouette. What could be more beautiful?” 

So what could be more beautiful? The answer is in verse 1. “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching.” The scene of the last supper Jesus had with his beloved disciples coming with the Passover meal conveys to us what is the most beautiful of all the pictures, visions, images, ideas, and thoughts one can possibly create, conjure up, or imagine. 

So what is so beautiful? Associated with this question are such questions as, “Why did Jesus have to shed his blood?” “What are we doing by going through the communion service?” Or, “What do I get out of it?” “What is in it?”

There are a number of Bible passages that explain the beauty of the new covenant in the blood of Jesus. Essentially, the total (or complete) beauty that comes out of the covenant relationship is this: complete freedom out of slavery to the power of sin and death (and eternal damnation) into the joy and glory of worshiping the Lord God and the vision to participate in the glory that inheres in God the Father. Speaking of this beautiful purpose, Deut. 15:15 reads, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.” [Here “the command” is the command to keep and celebrate the feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of the Passover. For the details of the feasts please read Exodus 12:1-13:10; 1Co. 5:7-8; and Leviticus 23:5-10.]  

Exodus 1-12 tells us that while the Israelites were in Egypt they were under the rule of Pharaoh. Mr. Pharaoh is symbolic of Satan the slave driver. Under Pharaoh the Israelites suffered so much that they really wanted to get out. But they were unable to. Pharaoh was too strong; they were too weak. So what did they do? They cried out. The Lord heard their cries. Through Moses, the Lord God granted them the glorious Exodus. At the heart of the Exodus was the sacrifice of the lamb. The religious festivals like the Passover feast are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (cf. Col 2:16-17) And the Christ is our Passover Lamb. (cf. 1Co 5:7)

The ugliness of the life under Pharaoh and the beauty of the life under God the Father can best be understood by considering the difference between the terrible cruelty of Pharaoh and the majestic beauty of God the Father. Characteristically, the life under Pharaoh is a continuation of slavery to sin, death, and eternal damnation. The life under the rule of God the Father is the life that goes from glory to glory, the life that is characterized by the beautiful character of God the Father, particularly his holiness, his loving grace, his mercy and compassion, his love and power - the life that comes with the infinite possibility for infinite growth into his infinite wisdom and perfection. This is what is in the new covenant in Jesus’ blood.     

Second, its acceptance 

Yesterday we had a beautiful wedding between Sister Ruth (whose middle name is Prayer) and Brother Garrett Wong. In the wedding sermon, the pastor said, “Love is a choice.” He also said, “Love is a decision, not a feeling.” We say that love is a choice as much as it is a decision because without one being given the possibility to make a choice, it is impossible for him to make a decision. Thank God that God gave us free will to make a free choice. 

When you think about the matters of life, life itself is a series of making choices which results in making decisions. And you decide your destiny by making your own choices. Of all the decisions one can make, then, the decision to either accept or reject God’s way to God’s freedom is the most important, just because of the stakes involved. And the way to God’s freedom is to participate (knowingly, joyfully and willingly, and prayerfully) in the new relationship with God the Father by choosing to sign up in the new covenant relationship with Jesus the Son.  

But not all people sign up for the new relationship. There were twelve disciples with Jesus. Jesus called all of them. Jesus loved them equally. Yet, one of the Twelve chose NOT to sign up. Who was he? Look at verses 2-6. “…and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.” Reading the passage, lots of questions arise: “What did Jesus do wrong that Judas Iscariot decided to betray him? Was it for money? Was it for something else? If he held anything against Jesus why didn’t he bring the matter to Jesus? If he wanted to leave the ministry why didn’t he just leave and never come back? Why did he come in and out? Why did he treat the disciples’ common life like the In-n-Out Burger Restaurant?” 

Another source of confusion is the expression: “Satan entered Judas.” This expression is repeated twice: once here and another in John 13:27. And John 13:27 reads, “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. ‘What you are about to do, do quickly,’ Jesus told him.” Based on the expression, “Satan entered Judas,” one might be tempted to say, “Look, it was Satan in control of Judas, so the blame should be placed on Satan, not on Judas.” But this interpretation is unbiblical, for the Apostle Peter, one of the Twelve says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” [The devil is another name for Satan.] In the same way James, one of Jesus’ disciples, also says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” What is mind-boggling then is this: It is you who should submit yourself to God. Even God cannot and will never force you to submit yourself to him. So it was Judas Iscariot who “took” the bread, and yet “rejected” to accept and consume it. Satan waited for this moment to come. And Satan entered Judas. This is the choice Judas Iscariot made. This then leads us to a question: “What is my choice?” And, “What is yours?”

Third, its preparations

Yesterday we had a beautiful wedding. For this wedding I noticed that lots of people worked hard. Some cleaned the Bible center. Some, especially Missionary Faith Park, decorated beautifully. Think about Shepherd William working as the photographer. Consider the music servants, the orchestra, the choir, and the conductors. All were truly beautiful. The food was great at the Great Sea Food Restaurant. Think about how friendly Garrett’s father was, and how quiet his mother was. The music program at the reception was also beautiful. I say Shep. Jonathon did a beautiful job in getting things organized. Shep. Neal’s “Wedding Song” based on the Beatles’ “Yesterday” was fabulous. Then think about the bridegroom and the bride, particularly the bride. I love the wedding gown. Most importantly let us not forget the Lord who prepared the bride and the groom for over three decades just for the blessed occasion, the occasion where the two are to get into a marital relationship in the Lord. Truly, the wedding is the heart of the Garden of Eden.

But the Bible says that even this wedding between the bride and the groom is a mirror image of the true reality which is the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church called the Bride. “This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church” (Eph 5:32). Jesus Christ came to ready us to be in the relationship with God the Father, whose name is triple HOLY.  

What does this mean? It means only one thing, that is, preparation. No preparation, no participation in the new covenant. Let us then read verses 7-16 responsively. Notice that the word “preparations” is repeated twice (8,12). Verse 13 has the word “prepared.” Similarly, in verse 15 Jesus said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Why before? It was to get the disciples to understand the meaning and thereby ready them to participate in the glorious relationship with God the Father.  

Again, the Passover (the passage or the journey to God’s freedom) must be a prepared experience, because without preparation no one can get into a meaningful relationship with God the Father through the Son. In order for one to get into a marriage relationship with his or her spouse, one needs to be prepared in every way possible, like cutting off all competing relationships, so that the two would be united together and build unity in love. And Jesus wanted them to understand the meaning of his sufferings, and get them prepared for a new relationship with him. 

In addition, Jesus himself loved his disciples so much that he wanted to spend a few moments praying for them, so upon his departure the disciples would not be scattered but remain true to him and the purpose of God’s calling upon them. 

Fifth, its meanings

What then are the meanings of the new covenant based on Jesus’ sacrifice? Let us read verses 17-20. “After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” 

In addition to what we already covered, the meanings of the communion service are:     

(1) Giving thanks to God for his amazing grace; 

(2) The vision for the unity of love in the Lord;

(3) The acceptance of him within and among us; 

(4) The new relationship we are called to get in; and 

(5) The call to never forget the sacrifices our Lord Jesus made. 

At the last supper table, Jesus gave thanks to God twice. What did he thank God for? Jesus was to suffer and die. Yet, why was he thankful? He did it for no other reason than this: God’s wonderful love that chose to send Jesus the Son, that whoever believes in the Son shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) 

One sister I know was very sorrowful because after her parents divorced at the age of nine, she was left abandoned in a lonesome apartment. As a result from her childhood, she kept crying and crying. She cried so much that her voice became “husky”. In her sorrow and sadness, she thought that no one loved her. But through John 3:16 she learned that God so loved her that he sent even his one and only Son Jesus. Then she brightened up. Sorrow and sadness were gone. Her GPA shot up. She graduated from college as an honors student. 

While he was seated around the Passover Table, Jesus took the cup and said, “Take this cup and divide it among you.” The word “divide” has the meaning of sharing the same thing, that is, the blood of Jesus. In addition, Jesus took the bread and “broke” it and then gave the pieces to his disciples saying, “This is my body given for you.” These actions illustrate the oneness of the brothers and sisters in the Lord. It refers to the unity of love, based on the sacrifice of the Lamb. 

As Jesus gave the cup and the broken pieces of bread, the disciples received them and consumed them. This is symbolic of the spiritual reality of Jesus’ being present inside each person and among all who are “in the Lord”. For those who accept God’s love expressed through Jesus’ blood sacrifice then, God establishes his presence in each of us through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. [This is the beginning of the coming of the kingdom of God. It is also the foundation of God’s kingdom to be fulfilled fully as Jesus is looking forward to its fulfillment in God’s kingdom.]

Again verse 20 reads, “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” The word “new” refers to the new relationship we are invited to, that is, the relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. This relationship is called “new” not just because of the newness of the idea, but because of the newness of what the Lord God is going to do among those who come into the relationship. Of course this new covenant relationship is based on God’s grace alone (grace in the sense of the blessings coming to us for free, all because of the merit of Jesus, despite our sinful rebellion). But the fruit itself is totally new, for the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2Co 5:17)

Lastly, Jesus commanded us to do this (the communion service) in remembrance of him, for he wants us not to forget the value of the freedom [of worship coming with the privilege to participate in God’s glorious presence], because Jesus paid for it with his precious blood.

 

Sixth, the follow-up

Let us then think about how the disciples did. How much did they pick up from their experience around the Last Supper Table? Verses 21-38 indicate that they did not pick up that much. Yet, Jesus helped them to not fall into the Devil’s temptations. Jesus also further illustrated the way we should practically follow up as members of the new covenant relationship. That is, we must serve one another, just as Jesus served the disciples, even by washing their smelly feet. 

In conclusion, let us read verse 20. “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” We thank and praise God for putting us in the new covenant relationship with him through Jesus. We are living in the generation where an unprecedented number of people suffer from broken relationships. In many ways, we human beings are like fish. How do fish thrive? In order for fish to enjoy life fully, it needs a good healthy body of water. To us human beings good relationships are just like good water for fish to swim in. In order for us to live our lives to the full, we need to get into a good, sound, safe, and healthy relationship, and that relationship is found in the blood of Jesus. 

One word: the new covenant in Jesus’ blood

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