THE LORD’S SUPPER AS A COVENANT MEAL
A COMMUNION MEDITATION
By Jack Cottrell

Matthew 26:27-28 – “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.’” Luke 22:20 – “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

In a recent communion meditation I pointed out how the word “is,” in “This is my blood,” is not literal but figurative. It represents Jesus’s blood. If you still have doubts about interpreting the word “is” this way, I am now going to erase those doubts. On that very same occasion Jesus made another statement where the word (or concept) “is” obviously means “to represent, to stand for.” That was when He said, “This cup which is poured out for you” (obviously meaning the contents of the cup) “IS the new covenant in My blood. This cup IS the new covenant. In what sense was the cup (holding the juice that represents Christ’s blood) a covenant?

I. First, we must ask, what is a covenant? Basically, as the word was used in Bible times, a covenant was much like a contract between two or more persons or parties. It was a mutual promise or pledge; it was a pact or agreement that was officially accepted by both parties. The essence of such a covenant is what each person promises to do. What is Jesus promising to do under this “new covenant” that he mentions in Luke 22:20? Matthew records it thus: “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” The essence of the new covenant, from God’s perspective, is that He promises to forgive your sins! That’s what the blood of Jesus was shed for: it allows God to forgive your sins and still be righteous and just. See Romans 3:24-26.

II. How is this a NEW covenant? Was not God already doing this under the Old Covenant? Was He not forgiving sins in the Old Testament era? Yes, but that was not actually in the terms of the covenant as such, nor did the Old Covenant specifically spell out how God can forgive sins. The promise element of the Old Covenant is contained in Genesis 12:1-7; 15:1-7; 17:1-8; 22:15-18. On these occasions God promised to give Abraham (and through him, to Israel) these things: (1) uncountable descendants; (2) the land of Canaan; and most important (3) “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

Forgiveness of sins was not specifically mentioned in these covenant promises, mainly because God was already forgiving sins of God-fearing individuals before this covenant was made. It was not a new thing that He had to institute here. God indeed continued to forgive the sins of all Israelites who were true believers, because this was something He had always been doing. One thing the Old Covenant made a bit clearer, though, through the animal sacrifices, was that their sins were being forgiven by being placed on a substitute. They did not know, however, Who that true substitute was going to be.

God did promise the Jews that He was planning all along to make a New Covenant with them, as spelled out in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Then when Jesus came, in fulfillment of the Old Covenant promises (especially the third one), He said, in effect, “This is it! This is the New Covenant that Jeremiah promised! And do you want to know what this New Covenant is all about? Here it is: the essence of this New Covenant is the forgiveness of sins! Under this covenant you will not only receive the forgiveness of sins itself (which others before you were already receiving), but you will also receive the knowledge of how this forgiveness is possible! Here you will see the real substitute upon which your sins are being laid, i.e., the one true blood sacrifice! Take this cup and drink from it, because ‘this is the new covenant in My blood.’ This is the real thing: My blood!”

III. What does the covenant have to do with blood? Well, for one thing, the issue here is whether or not you can really trust someone when you enter into an agreement with them. “Do you really mean it? How serious are you? Can I trust you to keep your promises? How can you guarantee you will keep your promises?”

Today, we accomplish this with INK. When a contract has been drawn up, both parties attach their signatures to it with a pen. We sign contracts that are enforceable by law, and even have them notarized.

But in Bible times, and in many other cultures historically, the covenant guarantee was sealed with BLOOD. The blood was a sign of just how serious you were. Sometimes the covenant parties cut their wrists and then grasped each other’s arms so that their blood mingled. In the Old Testament, making a formal covenant involved slaughtering an animal, dividing the carcass in half, and then walking between the pieces saying, “If I do not keep my word, may I be sliced up and fed to the vultures” (see Genesis 15, and Revelation 19:17-18.) This is why they sometimes spoke of “cutting a covenant” (Jeremiah 34:18).

In other words, it was a blood covenant. You were guaranteeing it with your very life, “for the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). It was similar to our childhood promise, “Cross my heart and hope to die; stick a needle in my eye.” I.e., “I guarantee it with my very life.”

This is not the only way the blood of Jesus was the foundation of the New Covenant, but it is one thing Jesus is saying to us when He says that this covenant is “the new covenant in My blood.”

IV. One more point: a covenant is a mutual, two-way agreement, involving promises from both sides—something like a wedding ceremony. In the New Covenant established by Christ’s blood, God’s promise is that He will forgive our sins. (By the way, I am thrilled with this promise! I would much rather have forgiveness of sins than uncountable descendants or even a country all my own.)

But what are we promising to God in that moment when we enter a covenant with Him? We are promising to love and trust and serve Jesus Christ forever! We make that promise when we are preparing to enter the waters of Christian baptism, and in that act the two promises come together.

So what are we doing now, here at the Lord’s table? For one thing, we are renewing our covenant vows to love, trust, and serve Jesus forever. We are remembering God’s promise to us and thanking Him for it, i.e., the forgiveness of our sins made possible by the pouring out of the blood of Jesus. And we are promising Him again to serve Jesus, even if it requires us to give up our lives for Him! Cross my heart and hope to die!