Matthew 26:28 - The Blood of the Covenant

BLOOD OF THE COVENANT

Exodus 24:3-8 [3] Moses came and told the people all Yahweh’s words, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which Yahweh has spoken will we do.” [4] Moses wrote all Yahweh’s words, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. [5] He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to Yahweh. [6] Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. [7] He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that Yahweh has spoken will we do, and be obedient.” [8] Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has made with you concerning all these words.”

Matthew 26:26-29 [26] As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” [27] He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, [28] for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. [29] But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

Matthew 26:28 [GerNeUe] Das ist mein Blut, das Blut, das für viele zur Vergebung der Sünden vergossen wird und den Bund zwischen Gott und Menschen besiegelt.

This German translation expands the sentence in order to give what the translators see as the fuller meaning. It says: “This is my blood, the blood, that for many is poured out for the forgiveness of sins and to seal the covenant between God and men.”

The Blood of the [New] Covenant does three things:

1. It enacts/ratifies the covenant (at a high cost to God)
2. It is shed for the forgiveness of sins
   1. First, that we may be cleanses to enter into the covenant
   2. Second, that we may be cleansed while in the covenant to remain in it
3. It empowers the partakers to fulfill their responsibilities in the covenant (when partaken of rightly)
   1. see Rev 12:11; John 6:53; Heb 9:13-14

The Covenant stated most simply by scripture:

Here are some simple scriptural statements of the new covenant in its most basic form. Each of these verses says what is ultimately the same thing in different ways. If we turn from the world, self and sin to live instead for God, God will forgive us our sins and give us eternal life with him.

1. Matthew 16:24-25 [24] Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
   1. If we are willing to lose our own life for Jesus' sake, he will give us our life in its greatest sense
2. Acts 3:19-21 [19] “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, [20] and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, [21] whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.
   1. If we repent, God will blot out our sins, send refreshing, and send Jesus a second time to restore all things
3. Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
   1. If we repent, if we turn from sin to live for God, God will grant forgiveness
4. 2 Timothy 2:11-13 [11] This saying is faithful: “For if we died with him, we will also live with him. [12] If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. [13] If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He can’t deny himself.”
   1. If we die with him, and live not for self but for God, he will give us life with him.
   2. If we endure in following him, he will cause us to reign with him.
5. 2 Corinthians 5:15 He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
   1. We no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and rose again; He died for our sins
6. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
   1. If we believe in him, faithfully following him to the end (not believed but believes), he will give us eternal life.

Acts 5:30-32 [30] The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree. [31] God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. [32] We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The Psalmist wrote (Psalm 130:3-4), If you, Lord, kept track of our sin, who could stand; but with you if found forgiveness, that you may be feared. When he writes, “with you is found forgiveness,” he is saying what the apostles spoke so long after. God has given/opened to men the possibility of repenting, of living a life of repentance, that those who do repent, who live such a repentant life, can receive forgiveness of sins. It is no small thing that God has done in working out all the details of opening to men the door of repentance and with it forgiveness of sins.

The New Covenant and the Covenant of Marriage

Married life is a life of covenant. Marriage begins when a man and woman make vows to each other. They vow to love one another faithfully until death. At its best, this covenant life, living in this marriage covenant, brings true joy and relationship that fulfills. When each spouse pursues loving the other as much as possible, the life in this marriage covenant is truly wonderful. When each spouse is committed to making the other spouse love them as much as possible, the life in this marriage covenant is not what it was intended to be.

Marriage, and so the marriage covenant, is an illustration of the covenant life with God into which a person enters when they vow to turn from sin and live faithfully for and with God. Daily living in this covenant, turning from sin and walking in joyful and humble obedience with God brings righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and true and everlasting life. Just as in the marriage covenant life, so in this New Covenant: when we make it our aim and goal to love our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, we will find this New Covenant, and the God with whom we have made this covenant, to be eternal life. When we do otherwise, we will also find otherwise.

TO PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER:

The Blood of the Covenant Enacts/Ratifies the Covenant

When we partake of the bread and wine, we should remember that this is the blood of the new covenant. It should remind us that some time in the past we turned from the path of this world to the narrow path that leads to life, following Jesus. On one hand, we should remember that we have entered into this covenant with God and his Son Jesus Christ. We have made binding vows (Psalm 56:12), and should walk faithfully with our God in this covenant (which leads to life). On the other hand, as we partake of the wine, we should recall the high price paid by God in order to enact this covenant with us. It is the new covenant in his blood (Luke 22:20). Let us say with the Psalmist, “Your vows are on me, God. I will give thank offerings to you” (Psalm 56:12).

The Blood of the Covenant is shed for the forgiveness of sins

We may enter into this blessed New Covenant with God because the blood of Jesus was shed for our sins. God cannot just ignore our sins prior to our repentance and new life. When we partake of the bread and wine, we should call to mind our former manner of life (Titus 3:1-3; 1 Peter 4:1-3), and the price God paid to redeem us from that into this New Covenant with himself (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Further, as we partake, we should also remember that God has provided for us to remain with him in the New Covenant. We ought not to sin (1 John 2:1), and he has given us all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), but, if we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1-2), whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins. Let us take caution in this matter, for our God tells us that if we go on sinning willfully, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26). Let us live a life of humble and joyful repentance (for it is in such a life that we receive grace from our God). Or, let us walk in the light – As the apostle John wrote, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The Blood of the Covenant gives us power to those who partake of it to fulfill their vows to God in this covenant

Those who partake of the bread and wine in an unworthy manner find judgment and a curse. Those who partake worthily find grace. As we partake worthily, we should remember that the God with whom we have entered into this New Covenant has given us all things for life and godliness. He has given us real power to fulfill our vows to turn from the world, self and sin and to live faithfully for God. In some way, one of the ways we receive this grace, one of the ways we are strengthened to walk faithfully and rightly with God in this New Covenant, is through partaking of the bread and wine, the blood of the new covenant.

Here are a few portions that point to this portion of the blood of the new covenant:

Revelation 12:11 They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death.

John 6:53-58 [53] Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. [54] He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me. [58] This is the bread which came down out of heaven—not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

Hebrews 9:13-14 [13] For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: [14] how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?