Continued

The New Covenant

At His last meal with His disciples, Jesus “took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood’” (Luke 22.20/ Matt 26.28/ Mark 14.24). Except for a reference in the prayer of Zacharias when John the Baptist was born (Luke 1.72), this is the only incident when the covenant is explicitly mentioned in the Gospel accounts. However, it would be a major mistake to think that, simply because there is no specific mention of the covenant, that means the covenant is not important to the ministry and message of Jesus. On the contrary, a great deal of Jesus’ ministry is explained by this reference to the covenant.

The covenant was central to Jesus’ ministry precisely because eating and drinking was central to His ministry. All the eating and drinking which Jesus has been doing, with all it’s significance is passed on to His disciples as “the Lord’s Supper” and is interpreted as a new covenant. What it means that Jesus established a “new covenant” will be considered more fully below, when we look at the Old Testament background.

Conclusion

Jesus was forming a new community–a community of table fellowship where sins were forgiven and people could be assured that they would inherit and/or remain in the Kingdom. This community possessed the promise of the Kingdom, a new covenant made with a new Isreal. It was especially associated with those who were baptized.