THE BLOOD COVENANT

Luke 22:1-38

Key Verse: 22:20

“In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

           Today we are going to study about Jesus’ Last Supper. Soon Jesus would die on the cross for the sin of the world. And before his suffering, Jesus ate the Passover with his disciples and taught them the meaning of the new covenant of blood. May God help bless our Bible study with his Holy Spirit.

I. The new covenant of blood (1-23)

           Look at verse 1. It says, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching,” The Passover was one of important feasts in Israel and it was a day of commemoration of God’s delivery from their bondage in Egypt. Then what were the religious leaders doing on this day of great feast? As shepherds and Bible teachers, they should have thought of God’s saving grace and thank God all day long. But they were carried away by their conspiracy in order to kill Jesus.  They wanted to kill Jesus at once but they could not because they were afraid of ordinary people who loved Jesus.

Look at verse 3. It says, “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.”  Satan entered Judas Iscariot’s heart. It was because he loved the glittering things of the world more than Jesus. Satan also entered his Judah’s heart because he was an opportunist. Verse 6a says, “…and watched for an opportunity.” As an opportunist, he never made commitment in following Jesus. When he saw Jesus’ popularity going up among people, he pretended to follow Jesus. But when he sensed Jesus’ upcoming suffering, he was ready to sell his master Jesus. As God’s children, we must not follow his example. Instead, we must know how to make a decision of faith to follow Jesus by making a clear commitment. Then God will bless with heavenly reward when we get to the kingdom of God. Judas went to the chief priest and officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. Then they made a deal. The religious leaders promised to give him money as their payment to his collaboration. He appears to be smart. But his life would end with death penalty. Later, the betrayer Judas Iscariot would kill himself by hanging on a tree.

           Look at verse 7. Now it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On this first day of the Passover, the people of Israel would gather family by family and have the Passover meal together to remember God’s grace of deliverance. Jesus wanted to have the Last Supper with his disciples, but he had to room. So he told Peter and John to go and prepare a place for the Passover. The two disciples asked him,  “Master, where do you want us to prepare the Passover?” Look at verses 10-12. Jesus said, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, “ Wow! Again, what a command! Not long ago, Jesus gave his disciples similar order. “When you go to the street, you will find a donkey’s colt. Untie it and bring it to me. If the owner asks, tell him, “The Lord needs it.”  This time Jesus gave them a similar order. What was the two disciples’ response? They said to him, “Yes, sir, aye aye, sir!”  They left and found it just as Jesus had told them. Here we see Jesus is the Lord of everything once again. Jesus is the Creator God and everything we have belongs to him.

           Look at verses 14,15. Finally, the time of the Passover meal came. Jesus and his disciples sat reclined to have the meal together. Jesus to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Jesus really wanted to eat the Passover with his disciples. Why? It was because he wanted to teach them the true meaning of his suffering and death as God’s Paschal Lamb during this Last Supper.

           The Passover had such historical meaning to the people of Israel. Once their life in Egypt was a truly hard and miserable one. As slaves, they were beaten and forced to work hard day and night. As slaves, they were beaten and hungry all the time. God had mercy on them and decided to deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptians. But Pharaoh was a proud king and he did not want to set the people of Israel free. Then ten plagues came upon him and his people. As his final judgment, God struck the Egyptians with the plague of death. When the angel of death strolled the streets of Egypt, all firstborns of Egyptians were killed, from the firstborn of King Pharaoh to that of a prisoner. Even the firstborn of animals in Egypt were killed. But God, in his great mercy, provided a way of salvation for his people. God told to his people that every household of the Israelites slay a lamb and smear its blood wit a bunch of hyssop on the their doorposts so that when the angel of death saw the blood on the doorposts would pass over the house.

           Look at verse 16. Now at this Passover meal, Jesus said to his disciples, “For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” This Jesus’ word implies that this Passover is the last Passover he would have on earth. It also implies that there will be another Passover in the kingdom of God. Apostle John saw this heavenly Passover in his vision and said in Revelation 19:9, “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Then he added, “These are the true words of God.” Also John the Baptist also saw this Paschal Lamb Jesus and said in John 1:29, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes the sin of the world.”

           Look at verses 17,18. Now following the order to the Passover meals, Jesus took the cup, gave thanks and said to them, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  The hearts of his disciples must have been so heavy as they sensed something gloomy approaching. But they did not need to worry. Instead, they must have a living hope of Jesus’ Second Coming. So Jesus said to them, “I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” This means that Jesus would come to this world once again as a victorious King and Savior. On that day, his disciples shall participate in the glorious Passover Feast in heaven. There they shall see their Lord Jesus face to face. .

           Look at verse 19. “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”   Here we must know the deep meaning of Jesus’ word. Here Jesus talks about his body. The Israelites satisfied their stomachs by eating the meat of lambs. Likewise, men can be truly satisfied when they take the body of Jesus, who is God’s Paschal Lamb. So Jesus said to them, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” When Jesus said this, he implied that he would die on the cross as God’s Paschal Lamb. As the body of a lamb is pierced and broken into pieces, Jesus’ body also would be pierced and broken. And the hunger and thirst of people will be quenched when they eat this body of Jesus. In John 6:35, Jesus also said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

           Look at verse 20. “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Here Jesus tells of the new covenant. When Jesus spoke of the New Covenant, there is also the Old Covenant. In Exodus 24:6-8, God gave his laws to his people and promised that he would use them as a priestly nation if they k=would keep his commands. And they said,  “Yes.” Then God commanded Moses to sprinkle the blood of an animal in order to seal the covenant. However, the covenant sealed by animal’s blood was incomplete since it could not solve man’s sin problem. This was why God wanted to establish a new covenant with man.

Look at verse 20 again. Jesus said to them, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” The new covenant is sealed by the blood of Jesus. Jesus is sinless and his blood is clean and spotless. This blood of Jesus is powerful and effective that it can change any person. Most of people want to live a holy and righteous life. But they cannot live such a life because they have a dirty blood inherited from Adam. And the blood of Jesus can change them. As we know well, blood is very important. If we a person goes to hospital, usually doctor first checks his blood, because sick blood makes a person sick. To be healed, our blood must be healed and purified. Likewise, only the blood of Jesus has a transforming power to transfuse our sin-stained blood. Therefore, we must come to Jesus as we are and to have Jesus’ blood by faith. Hebrews 9:13,14 says, “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

           We thank and praise God’s Son Jesus Christ. Again, our Lord Jesus suffered much in order to make us a holy and noble people of God. Jesus, God’s Paschal Lamb, suffered much on the cross. Isaiah tells of Jesus in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her sharers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

           Look at verse 21. While they were eating the Passover, Jesus said, “But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.” Jesus said this in order to help Judas to repent his sins and come back to God. It was truly unbelievable that Jesus allowed Judas to eat the Last Supper with him. Our Lord Jesus loved Judas the Iscariot this much. But this man could not realize this marvelous love of God as his heart was blinded by his selfishness. We must know that selfishness blinds man from seeing the love of God and it brings him to utter destruction. Look at verse 22. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him.”

II. The truly great man in the kingdom of God (24-38)

           In this part, Jesus taught his disciples how to become truly great once again. To the disciples, the Last Supper was the most precious time to learn the meaning of the Paschal Lamb. However, his disciples were still thinking of their position and power.  

Look at verse 24. A dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest. It is one of the most poignantly tragic things in the gospel story that his disciples could quarrel like an animal even in such an solemn moment. What did Jesus did for them? He must have been frustrated by them much. Still Jesus embraced them with his unfathomable grace and began to teach them the way to be truly great. Look at verse 25. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.” As Jesus said, rulers of the world exercise power and authority over people by oppressing and squeezing them. Still they expect the people under them to respect and flatter them by saying, “You are the best benefactor, sir.” But Jesus taught them that truly great man is he who serves. Jesus said to them, “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” All people of the world want have a strong desire to be great, but they do not know how to serve others by humbling themselves.

 Look at verse 27. Jesus continued, “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” As we know well, Jesus was the Son of God who created the heavens and the earth with his word.  Still, Jesus was among them as a servant. Because of his humble servantship, later this disciples could also grow as influential spiritual leaders. When Jesus served, people despised him and persecuted him. But God exalted him as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

           Look at verses 28-30.  Then Jesus taught that when they live a humble serving life, God would exalt him and bless him with heavenly reward.  He said, “You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

May God grow each of us as a humble child of God.” Today we learned meaning of Jesus’ Last Supper. We thank God for his Son Jesus, God’s Paschal Lamb.