17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
It would do us well to take a closer view of the Master’s table – it is our individual and corporate privilege and we shall obtain a fresh taste and a renewed awareness of the precious benefits therein. It is to be our constant reminder of the Person and work of Jesus. His body broken, His blood poured out – the elements constantly pointing to the blessed truth that Christ Jesus died for sinners – our foundation for encouragement, hope and joy. The blood of animals, while commanded through the law, was not sufficient. The constant sacrificing for sins was proof enough of that. The writer of Hebrews tells us:
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Heb 10:1-4 (NIV)
Paul also gives us this insight in Colossians:
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Col 2:17 (NIV)
The prophet Jeremiah prophesied regarding God’s future establishment of a new covenant which would be based on the full and eternal atonement secured by the death of Christ Jesus. This is the new covenant of which Jesus refers to in our verses for today:
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. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, "declares the LORD. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "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. Jer 31:31-33 (NIV)
This new covenant is based on an individual, personal knowledge of God and is characterized by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – an everlasting eternal covenant of peace which Jesus the Prince of Peace would usher in. Paul tells us in Colossians:
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Col 2:13-15 (NIV)
“Thou art a sinner, guilty and defiled. Jesus’ blood cleanses from all sin; he is the fountain open for thy uncleanness, thou art by nature a child of wrath, condemned by the law, exposed to the curse: but Jesus was made a curse for thee: thou art unrighteous, unholy; but Jesus is made of God unto thee righteousness and sanctification; thou art weak, beset with enemies; his strength shall be perfected in thy weakness, and thou, by faith, shalt be more than conqueror through him that loved thee. Thou art afraid of perishing at the last; look to Jesus; he purchased thee with his blood; he will not give thee up; none can pluck thee out of his hand.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 (NIV)
“The agony in Gethsemane was the agony of the Son of God in fulfilling His destiny as the Savior of the world. The veil is pulled back here to reveal all that it cost Him to make it possible for us to become sons of God. His agony was the basis for the simplicity of our salvation. The Cross of Christ was a triumph for the Son of Man. It was not only a sign that our Lord had triumphed, but that He had triumphed to save the human race. Because of what the Son of Man went through, every human being has been provided with a way of access into the very presence of God.” Oswald Chambers
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Eph 2:8-9 (NIV)