Thursday, April 5, 2012
Maundy Thursday
Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins ..."
JESUS ESTABLISHES THE NEW COVENANT
The old covenant was the law. After God rescued Israel from Egyptian slavery, He gave them countless laws to obey. If they obeyed these laws God promised to watch over them and be their God. But Israel couldn't keep the terms of this covenant because the conditions required PERFECT OBEDIENCE. With a single sin this covenant was broken.
It may seem odd that God would make an agreement with conditions that He knew the Israelites couldn't keep. But God's purpose in establishing the covenant of the law was to show the Israelites that they were sinners who needed a Savior. That's where the second covenant comes in. The new covenant is a ONE SIDED AGREEMENT where God does all the giving, and Israel simply gets the inheritance. The core of this covenant is summed up in Jeremiah: " ... I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:34).
The wonderful thing about the second covenant is that it can't be nullified by our failure to keep our side of the bargain. There are no conditions on our side of the bargain. The only way to lose an inheritance is to refuse what is freely given. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, the inheritance of forgiveness was established. Sinners inherit this forgiveness through faith in Christ. Even that faith is a gift from God.
Jesus spoke of this covenant of grace when gave His followers the Lord's Supper. He said, " ... Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:27-28).
