Matt.26:26-29 – Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 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 being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”
This moment described in the gospel of Matthew is one of the most important events in the history of the world. Jesus gave the disciples a simple tool to use to honor His death and to preach the message of His life and death. The Last Supper or better known today as communion has been practiced for 2000 years in every type of church that has ever existed.
Today I want to point out two incredibly important lessons we get from this passage. Read this passage in Matthew carefully and you can feel the power of this covenant meal.
Matt:26-26-28 – Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 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 being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
The first lesson is why Jesus came, to restore fallen man’s intimate relationship with God. In communion we celebrate that God became a man, died in our place on the cross, and told us that we are to eat His body and drink His blood. What Jesus is describing is what He purchased for us at the cross, restored intimacy with our God. Paul preached about this new covenant that we celebrate when we take communion. Read this passage from Hebrews that describes this new and better covenant.
Heb.8:6 – But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
This is the second lesson, Jesus was introducing a new and better covenant that night at the Last Supper. The Old Covenant was based on our ability to keep God’s laws, that proved to be impossible. In the New Covenant the Lord comes to live inside of us, this is where our life is changed. The Lord gives us a new nature that delights in walking in the ways of God.