S140P1 – The power of the blood: a new covenant
Mt. 26:26-29
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.”
When reviewing the Mosaic covenant and associated rules of law in the scriptures, things can look complicated. Ultimately, the Law was not designed as a mechanism for legalism, confinement or confusion. It was designed to give God’s people the blueprint for holy living. Part of this picture was the mechanism by which sins were forgiven. The shedding of animal blood was required for the absolution of sins, occurring by different methods for different circumstances. [Exo. 30:1-10; Lev. 4-7] This covenant required multiple sacrifices to cover the multiple sins of the people over time, and no single sacrifice could have covered them all, but that is precisely what we have in this Christ’s covenant.
The Old Testament points its readers to Jesus Christ. Scripture upon scripture holds different keys to the identity of Messiah so that He could be clearly identified through what might not appear to be prophecy but is. This blood covenant that Jesus says has been made through his blood is one of those keys. Without the blood of the Old Testament sacrifices, atonement was not complete. We can call that the cornerstone of the sacrificial system of forgiveness. The fact that Jesus tells us that this new covenant is a covenant of his blood and not his flesh is critical. Yes, his body was beaten and broken, but it was his blood that was poured out for our forgiveness. Just like in the Old Testament, blood was the channel of God’s grace, a necessity of atonement. [Lev. 16]
We can look at this new covenant as a debt agreement into which the Father entered with us. Under the old covenant, many transactions were required for our many debts to be forgiven over time. Under this new covenant, only one transaction is necessary. That transaction has enough weight and power to cover every debt. Where the power of animal blood was finite, the power of Christ’s blood to forgive is sweeping and will stand the test of time. Without the shedding of this blood, no new covenant could exist. Father, thank You for the shedding of your Son’s blood that brings us into covenant with You and gives us access to you forgiveness by your grace.