You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.
Luke 22, verses 19 and 20.
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.
For more
information,
visit us
online at
southwood.org.