Bulletin Articles
The Lord’s Supper and Covenant
Most are aware of the fact that the Lord’s Supper is rooted in the Passover event. Jesus gave instructions for the Lord’s Supper specifically in conjunction with the Passover meal (Matt. 26:17-29). This highlights the typological significance of the Passover and its subsequent events of the Exodus all the way to Sinai and the giving of the covenant. Because of the connection between Jesus and the Passover, John was able to point to Jesus and say, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Paul, likewise, was able to point to Jesus to say, “Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). Thus Christ our Passover, the perfect Lamb of God, takes away the sins of the world as He brings us out of the bondage of sin, initiating an even greater covenant of forgiveness (Heb. 8:7-13; Jer. 31:31-34). This new covenant is in His blood (Luke 22:19), and the shedding of His blood means forgiveness for us. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Eph. 1:7-8a).
The Lord’s Supper is tied to a covenant way of life. The feast is not a mere ritual to be performed, but is a solid reminder of the covenant into which the Lord has brought us. To the Israelites, the Passover and Exodus events meant freedom from bondage and entrance into a new covenant way of life with Yahweh. Every time they partook of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they were to be reminded of the events that saved them from Egypt and gave them a new life. The significance of the Lord’s Supper is essentially the same for a child of God today. Christians have been set free from the bondage and brought into a new life with Christ. Yet for Christians, the meaning is even greater and deeper, for we are not brought out of physical slavery down a mountain “that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind” (Heb. 12:18). We have come to the prophetic “Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel” (vv. 22-24). We are set free from sin itself and are preparing to cross over into our heavenly inheritance made possible by the shed blood of our Savior. How much greater is the freedom we enjoy? How much greater is this inheritance of heaven? “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14)
Partaking of the Lord’s Supper should vividly bring to our minds our covenant relationship with God, made possible through the blood of the lamb. When Moses spoke all the words of the covenant to the people, the people answered, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” Moses then took the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled it on the people (Exod. 24:1-8). Now we have been sprinkled with the blood of the Son of God, a far superior sacrifice to anything ever offered. Our reaction should be the same as the people under Moses: we will be obedient! We have been cleansed to serve. So while we reflect on what Christ did for us on the cross, let us also reflect on our part of the covenant. Does the cross motivate us to work harder for Him? How much will I serve in the coming week? How grateful will I be for the shedding of Jesus’ blood? And will my actions reflect that gratefulness? In other words, will I keep my part of the covenant with God? If the cross means anything to us, we cannot take lightly our responsibility to serve God every day.
When the first covenant with Israel was established, the people had to stand at a distance from the mountain. They were so afraid that they begged Moses not to let God speak directly to them. On the other hand, we need not stand at a distance. God has spoken through His Son (Heb. 1:1-3). Now, in Christ, we draw near through His blood. We must not draw back in terror, but rather “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” (Heb. 10:22).
