With Jesus in the Upper Room - Part Four

By James Boice
Theme: Jesus is always in control. 
This weeks lessons show us the first Lord’s Supper and the events surrounding it.
 
SCRIPTURE
Matthew 26:26-30
 
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying,“Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

LESSON

Yesterday we looked at the first of five teachings that have come from Jesus’ words at the first Lord’s Supper. Today we will look at the other four.
 
2. A new covenant. Matthew 26:28 is the only verse containing the word covenant in this gospel. It is an important use of the word and almost certainly a reference to Exodus 24:8, where Moses says, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you."1 Since Exodus 24 records the establishing of the old covenant, we can hardly miss the contrast between that old covenant and the new covenant that is set in place by Jesus. Matthew and Mark do not have the word new, but Luke does (Luke 22:20), and Paul also preserves the word in his transcription of the words: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25).
 
Jesus’ linking of the old covenant and the new covenant makes clear that his death was the fulfillment and end of the millions of blood sacrifices that had been used to seal and maintain the old covenant. There would be no more need for sacrifices once he had died for our sin.
 
Moreover, although Matthew does not seem to have preserved Jesus’ use of the word new,2 Jesus apparently did say new which means that he was also presenting his death as a fulfillment of the promise recorded in Jeremiah 31: “The time is coming,declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,declares the Lord For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (vv. 31, 33, 34).
 
The old covenant was a gracious covenant, but the people had not been able to keep it. In the new covenant God’s people would be empowered to keep the law which would be written on their hearts and minds.
 
3. The forgiveness of sins. That Jesus spoke of the forgiveness of sins is another indication that he was thinking of Jeremiah 31 as well as Exodus 24. But these words make an additional point. To be forgiven by God is our great need, for it is only as our sins are forgiven and we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ that we can stand before a holy God. It is by the blood of Christ alone that we are cleansed from sins defilement.
 
4. Particular redemption. There is even the doctrine of particular redemption in this passage. For Jesus did not say that his blood would be poured out for everyone for the forgiveness of their sins, but “for many” (v. 28). It was not poured out for Judas, for he was not saved. If Jesus had died for him, he would have been saved since even the sin of his betrayal would have been cleansed by Christ’s blood. What Jesus was teaching in just these few words is that his death was for his own people only and that it was effective in saving them and only them from their sins. Jesus’ blood made an actual atonement for transgressions. His sacrifice actually propitiated God on their behalf. His death secured their justification, and by his stripes they were all truly healed.
 
Particular redemption means that Christ’s death was not for all. But Jesus’ words also teach that it was not merely for a few but for many. Many have come. Many more are yet to come. There are many with whom we have yet to share the gospel.
 
5. Eternal security. Christs words also teach the truth of eternal security, for he stated as an unchallengeable fact that one day he would drink wine with his disciples (“with you,” v. 29) in his Fathers kingdom. How could Jesus be sure? Obviously because his death would accomplish their salvation so completely and perfectly that not even Peter’s public denial of the Lord would undermine it. 
 
1 The only other place blood and covenant are found together is in Zechariah 9:11. 
2 The word is in a few of the manuscripts, but they are a minority. It seems to have been added by copyists to conform Matthew’s and Mark’s account to Lukes and to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11:25.

STUDY QUESTIONS

  • To what does covenant refer?
  • What is our great need in terms of forgiveness?
  • Why is it important to note Jesus’ use of the word many?

 

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.