- A Covenant Meal

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Luke 22, verses 19 and 20.

Luke 22:19

And he took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, his disciples, saying,

This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying,

This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

You know, what's taking place here with his disciples on this very solemn,

evening?

Solemn because Jesus knows what's about to happen and the disciples do not.

But something incredible is taking place here that I think the significance of escapes and eludes us

in a lot of ways.

You know, as Jesus leads his disciples through this meal, which they have celebrated year and year and every year,

he changes some things.

And he says some things here that are so foundationally different

that I think even for the disciples, they missed what he was saying.

Because he says, he says, this cup is the new covenant.

And it's like they were familiar with the old covenant.

But he said, this is the new covenant.

And it's in my blood.

And so I think to understand, to comprehend a little bit more fully what he's doing,

that's why we go back to Exodus 34.

In Exodus 34, this is not the first covenant,

but it is kind of a reaffirmation of the covenant,

which God initially gave to Abraham all the way back in Genesis.

And then renewed again with Isaac and renewed again with Jacob.

And so he's now renewing it again, reaffirming that covenant.

But it's now expanded.

Because here in this covenant,

we see all of the elements of a covenant.

And again, it's a little bit strange for us.

We think sometimes of business contracts and sometimes arrangements like that.

But we don't do covenants like this,

except maybe at weddings.

It comes close to that.

But a covenant is an agreement,

but it was an incredibly significant agreement.

And in that covenant, it involves several things.

It involved stipulations.

In other words, these are your responsibilities,

the responsibilities for both parties.

It says, this party has responsibilities,

and they agree to do certain things,

and this party agrees to certain things and has responsibilities.

Also, in a covenant agreement,

there will be the consequences laid out

for the occasion that one of the parties would fail

to keep their side of the agreement.

But here also,

covenants were a lot more graphic

than our typical contracts

because they would take an animal,

a bull or a ram,

and slit its throat

and pour out its blood.

And as we see back in Exodus 24,

the blood was kind of divided up into two parts

where part of the blood was thrown onto the altar of sacrifice,

and the rest of the blood was then sprinkled

on all of these 70 elders.

And then Aaron and his two sons,

and they would be, in a sense, purified by this blood.

But what that blood also demonstrates in this covenant,

and maybe we ought to do this in weddings more often,

was that the parties were saying,

if I fail to keep this covenant,

may I be like this pitiful, slain animal.

And so this was a very serious engagement.

But one of the other more fun aspects of the covenant after this

is that there was a meal.

It was always a meal where they gathered.

And this is where Exodus 24 is incredible.

Because in Exodus 24,

we see all of these elements of the covenant.

God has given them the rules.

Israel has responded and says,

we will keep, we will obey,

and we do everything you've said.

And then Moses sacrificed the animal

and sprinkled the blood on them.

And then those last couple of verses,

in verse 9,

it says there,

that they saw God.

Not just Moses,

but all 70 of these elders.

Now,

there were limitations in this.

Because if you see,

up at the very first part of this passage,

it said they had to do it from afar.

They couldn't get close.

But still,

to be in the presence of God,

they saw him.

But even more significant,

they ate.

They had a meal.

And again,

that's worth so much more than for us.

Because for us,

we have a meal with about anybody.

We'll go sit down at a sandwich place with strangers.

But in this case,

in this culture,

a meal meant

that you were friends.

Intimate friends,

associates,

even family.

That you,

if you eat with someone,

that's like your stamp of approval.

Your stamp of acceptance

on this person

who now shares your bread.

This is why

the Pharisees

got so upset with Jesus

early in his ministry

because he ate

with sinners,

with tax collectors,

and prostitutes

and enjoyed it.

It was like he was putting

his stamp of approval

on them.

But here,

in Exodus,

Israel

eats

with God himself.

And it says,

God

did not raise his arm

against them.

He welcomed them.

into his presence

to share a meal,

to give them a taste

of what this covenant

was all about.

Because he was going to

make them a nation,

but he was going to be

their God.

And he,

and they were going to be

his people.

And there would be intimacy.

So now,

we come to the upper room.

Jesus says he brings

a new covenant.

covenant.

In many,

many ways,

it has all the markings

of the old.

We even have

in that upper room,

if you read through

the Gospel of John,

we have again

the covenant stipulations

in a sense laid out.

Where he says,

this is a new commandment

that I give you.

And what is the stipulation?

What is the

kind of obligation

of the covenant?

covenant?

That you love.

That's the new covenant.

But here,

Jesus, though,

changes,

he changes the terms

incredibly.

a sacrifice

was going to be

required,

but the blood

would be his.

Because no sheep,

no oxen,

no animal

from the stable

would be sufficient

to bring about

and inaugurate

this covenant.

This is a new covenant.

And it's going to go

so much farther

than any covenant

previously.

Because the blood

of this sacrifice

will be effective.

Because the funny,

you know,

what's not really funny,

the sad thing

about both of these

covenant meals,

in Exodus 24,

these elders

celebrated,

they ate

in the presence of God,

they saw God,

and they would go

down the mountain

and make a cow.

And proclaim

that cow

was their God.

I mean,

how could they

forget so quickly?

Well,

here in the upper room,

the disciples as well,

they're going to

celebrate this meal

with Jesus,

but yet in a few moments,

you know,

within a couple of hours,

they would be all

heels and elbows

running in the opposite

direction

out of a sense

of self-preservation.

But the blood

of Jesus

that he was going

to shed

would be effective

to wash clean

even traitors,

friends who would

betray,

those who would

profess

but yet

forget,

his blood

would wash

clean

the vilest

of sinners.

But another

wonderful thing

about this meal,

this upper room,

that we can't

miss.

See,

in Exodus 24,

it says that the

disciples,

or the elders,

had to worship

from afar.

Not in the upper

room.

In Exodus 24,

all they could

see was some

semblance

of God.

They saw this

sapphire pavement

underneath him,

but they didn't

see

clearly

him.

But in the

upper room,

they look at

God

face-to-face.

This new

covenant

was going

to bring

God's people

so

close

and intimate,

into intimate

relationship.

And the

sacrifice

of the blood

of this covenant

would be sufficient

to do that.

where God

himself

will declare

these

twelve,

who in a

sense stand

as the elders

stood representing

Israel,

these twelve

now represent

us.

The

friends,

the intimate

friends,

brothers

of God

himself.

God

and that's

what the

new covenant

does.

It's not

just a bunch

of rules.

It's not

just

something we

remember

because it

makes us feel

good.

Every time

we come and

gather around

this table

and take

these elements,

it is a

reenacting of

this reaffirmation

of the covenant

where we

remember

the blood

that brings

us near.

And we

also

declare

that I

am

yours,

that I

am under

the blood,

that I

need this

blood,

I need

this sacrifice,

but yet it

is fully

sufficient

for me.

And so

we celebrate

it together.

And a

covenant like

this is

more than

worth celebrating.

Let me

pray for

us.

Father,

as we

celebrate this

time together,

would you

impress on

our hearts

the gravity

of what

we do.

Not that

we would

be morose

or fearful,

that we

would come

readily,

that we

would come

freely and

with joy

even,

but that

we would

come

remembering

the price

that was

paid

to make

this covenant

possible.

And that

we would

remember

that we

are now

bound,

we are

covered,

we are

stained

forever

by the

blood of

the sacrifice.

We

have been

cleansed

by the

blood of

the new

covenant

which is

shed for

us.

May we

relish

in that.

We pray

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

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