A New Covenant Realized
Reading: Matthew 26:26-30
“For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ”
In Jesus Christ, God’s promise of a new covenant was realized. This account of the Last Supper includes many of the covenant features familiar to us from the Old Testament.
There is blood, not of an animal, but of Jesus, God’s self-sacrifice. There is forgiveness of sins as an incentive for keeping the covenant. There is a meal, similar to the one God prepared for the elders of Israel.
Most of all, and underlying everything else, there are God’s grace and love. We cannot do anything to earn the right to this new relationship. God’s grace is freely given to us because God loves us with an everlasting love, and wants to be in communication with us.
The central figure of the New Covenant is Jesus. His body has been broken for us. His suffering clearness and news. All of the Old Testament symbolism is fulfilled here. Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb, the memory of deliverance. His blood rescues us from our sins.
This is a new covenant because through it we have a new relationship with God. We are drawn by mutual love. All that estranged us from one another has been removed. Thanks be to God for this gift!
For Reflection: Are there any barriers between myself and God? Why?
A Prayer Seed:
By this pledge that Thou dost love us,
By Thy gift of peace restored,
By Thy call to heaven above us,
Hallow all our lives, O Lord.
Louis F. Benson, 1924
