Let us start this message with an introduction to
covenants.
Covenants were a form of agreement or contract based on trust made between two parties –
between two persons or two groups of people.
Covenants are not mere contracts.
Trust in each other was an integral part of
covenants.
A covenant is a legally binding contract based on trust.
They were popular in ancient times in Middle East
area.
There were different
kinds of covenants.
Usually covenants have stipulated conditions for
both the parties.
Both the parties should keep the conditions;
otherwise the covenant would be nullified.
If any one party violates any condition of the
covenant, the covenant is considered cancelled.
This type of covenant is called bi lateral covenant.
There were also unilateral
covenants.
In unilateral covenants, conditions stipulated in
the covenant are applicable to one party.
There would be no conditions for the second
party.
That means the covenant would be kept in force by
the first party in spite of the adherence to it by the second party.
There would be no conditions to keep for the
second party.
And hence there is no question of violation of
any terms and conditions by the second party.
There were also blood
covenants and covenants without
shedding any blood.
Blood covenants were sealed with shedding of the
blood of an animal.
Stronger and universal covenants are blood
covenants.
Covenants can be made between
two or more parties.
They may people equal in rank or unequal persons
or people group.
If the covenant is made between a higher person with
a lower person in rank, the covenant is proposed by the higher person.
Higher persons include God, Kings etc. and lower
person are people lower in rank to them.
Covenants contain blessings
and cures.
In bi lateral covenants, we are blessed as long
as the covenant is kept and cursed when we break the covenant.
In unilateral covenants, either blessings or
curse is effected whether we obey or disobey the covenant conditions.
The parties those who enter into a covenant
establish or exchange a symbol or token
for their covenant.
It helps them and their generations to remember
the covenant.
Having a Covenant
Meal after the announcement of the covenant was also a custom, where
ever it was possible.
In blood covenant, the animal killed to shed the
blood was cooked for the meal.
Both the parties sit together peacefully and
partake in the meal.
All covenants have a purpose of establishing
peace among the parties.
The covenant meal is a meal of peace taken
together.
Covenants usually
have these 4 characteristics:
1. Statement of the purpose and terms
2. Oath by both parties
3. Shedding of blood
4. The Covenant Meal
The
covenant Meal
A covenant meal was nothing new in the Middle
East during the time of Jesus.
Among the people of the Middle East for many centuries
it’s been understood that to eat bread with a man and to share the same cup
were to make a very solemn and sacred commitment to him.
The
covenant meal is an especially important part of entering into a blood covenant
with another person or group.
It
is a picture of the two parties becoming one.
It
is usually the final part of the "traditional" ceremony, but it can
be done at any time to symbolize the "oneness" being created.
If
you refer back to the traditional steps in making a blood covenant, you will
see that bread and wine were normally used in the covenant meal.
They
represented the body and blood of each party being consumed by each other
thereby becoming one in union.
Lord’s
Supper as a part of the redemptive history
Covenant meal as
started and established by our Lord is a part of the redemptive history since
creation to the eschatological fulfiment.
Since creation God
has sought covenant relationship with his creatures in order to establish a community.
With this purpose,
God entered into a covenant with Abraham and his descendants and ultimately
with all the nations toward the eschatological end of eternal communion.
God's
covenant desire was to be our God and we to be his people.
Throughout the
whole history of God's redemptive work, God has established fellowship and
covenant through sacrifice.
The fellowship and
covenant were confirmed through eating the sacrifice, a meal.
Those meals within
the redemptive history anticipate the eschatological
messianic banquet when God will dwell with his people in the new
Jerusalem.
The "Lord's
supper" is the present stage of the covenant meal in the redemptive history
of man.
It embraces the
past and anticipates the future.
We are enacting
and reaffirming the covenant through the covenant meal expecting the
consummation of the covenant for redemption in the eschatological end.
So the full
meaning of this Christian meal can only be understood in the light of
redemptive history.
Covenant Meal in Redemptive History
Covenant Meal in the
Old Testament
All these kinds of covenants are seen in the Old
Testament of the Bible.
In Old Testament times, covenants were made not only between men, but also
between God and His people.
In fact, God has continually used covenants as a way of establishing and
increasing the level of fellowship between himself and his people.
Covenants between God and Man are progressive in nature.
One covenant does not cancel or wipe away the former covenant.
Because God brakes no covenants.
Each covenant is a progressive revelation of God to Man.
Covenants are progressive revelations of God’s plan to redeem humankind.
We should study covenants along with the redemptive history of mankind from
Genesis to the eschatological age in eternity.
Food or meal was
an important part of covenant making in the ancient Near East.
Eating with other
people was a significant event in ancient days.
Only people who
were at peace with each other could dine together.
Covenant
Meal – Jacob and Laban
Genesis
31:22-55 provides an
example of a covenant meal within a family clan.
Laban and Jacob came
to a truce (ceasefire) and solemnize their pact with the breaking
of bread.
Thus peace was
established between them.
The covenant would
be witness between Jacob and Laban of their peaceful relationship.
God was not only
be a witness to the covenant, but a participant in blessing the parties
involved as well as a judge between them (31:49-50,53).
Both Laban and Jacob
swore an oath, and a sacrifice was offered to enact the covenant.
It was followed by
a meal to celebrate and confirm it.
Genesis 31:54 Then Jacob
offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and
they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. (KJV)
The meal was a
symbol of peace and mutual acceptance within the clan.
It celebrated and
sealed the peace which now existed between Laban and Jacob
Covenant
Meal – God and elders of Israel
Exodus
24:1–11 records an extraordinary covenant meal that is shared by
the God and the elders of Israel.
Moses and Aaron
were already on the mount, or at least some way up (Exodus 19:24) There they
had heard the voice of the Lord distinctly speaking to them.
God had been
laying down all the laws as narrated from the beginning of the 20 chapter of
Exodus to the end of the 23.
Before they went
down from the mount to lay them before the people, Lord asked them to come
back.
Down in the valley
they had to propose the conditions of the covenant to the Israelites.
The whole
Israelites were to ratify them.
After that they
were to go up again unto the mountain accompanied with Nadab and Abihu the sons
of Aaron, and seventy of the principal elders
of Israel.
Moses accordingly
went down, spoke to the people and ratified the covenant
And then,
according to the command of God he and the others re ascended the
mountain.
The elders of
Israel were invited up on the mountain with Moses and the priests to see a
vision of the Lord.
We are not sure of
what this vision actually entailed, but it was a glimpse of God’s glory.
After a sight of
God’s glory they did eat and drink.
Exodus 24:11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not
lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.
(NKJV)
The eating and
drinking here may refer to the peace offerings on which they feasted.
It is likely that
what the elders then ate in the presence of the Lord was the oxen of the peace offering, burnt at the covenant making
ceremony
Exodus 24:4
4 And Moses wrote
all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar
at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes
of Israel.
5 Then he sent young men of the children of
Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to
the LORD.
(NKJV)
Peace
Offerings
Peace-offering (fellowship
offering) is distinctly a sacrificial meal.
The peace offering emphasizes the fact that the
people of ancient Israel had the opportunity for close communion with the Lord.
They could eat the flesh of an animal that had
been presented, identified, and consecrated as an offering to the Lord.
This signified that all was well (peaceful) in
the relationship between the Lord and his people.
Moses and all
others on the mountain drank the libations (liquid offering - probably wine, according
to the popular custom) that were then offered on the ratification of the
covenant.
But they rejoiced
the more because they had been so highly favoured, and were still permitted to
live.
The meal is where
God, the priest and the worshipper share shalom through the meal.
The sacrifice
provides meat for the covenant meal, and the meal is the means by which
fellowship is shared.
The meal
celebrates covenantal communion.
This feast had a
prophetic bearing.
·
They feasted upon
the sacrifice before God is a token of their cheerful consent to the covenant.
·
The meal expressed
their grateful acceptance of the benefits of the covenant.
·
The covenant meal
is a communion with God in pursuance (continuance) of that covenant.
The God of Israel
is a Holy God who cannot be approached by sinful human beings.
But God
establishes communion with his people through covenantal sacrifice.
This communion is
expressed by not only "seeing" God, but also sharing fellowship with
him through a covenant meal.
God becomes the
God of his people through covenant, and this covenant is celebrated through a
meal.
Through the meal
they were affirming peace with God.
Two parties were
brought into peace with each other.
Thus this act of
covenant meal signals God's dwelling with men.
The peace with God
that Israel enjoyed on the mountain lasted but a moment.
The history of the
old covenant is one of war between the Lord and His unfaithful bride.
Hence a greater
work would be done to secure eternal peace, commemorated by a greater meal that
includes people from all nations.
This is the
importance of the Covenant Meal established by Jesus Christ.
Eschatological Fulfillment
Isaiah 25:6-9 anticipates a day when God will wipe away every tear through swallowing up the disgrace of his people.
Isaiah 25: 6 – 9
6 And
in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat
things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on
the lees well refined.
7 And he will destroy in this mountain
the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over
all nations.
8 He will swallow
up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces;
and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the
LORD hath spoken it.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo,
this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD;
we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
(KJV)
The Banquet would
have been understood from Isaiah to be metaphorical of a description of the
entire future messianic age.
The banquet of
these righteous ones represents the promised future prosperity of the messianic
reign after Jesus defeats the enemy.
This feast is for
people from all the nations who are invited to participate.
This is no single
event.
The banquet
describes an entire eschatological age.
On the day when
God destroys death the eschatological banquet will come to its full.
God will celebrate
with His people a banquet with rich food and the best wine.
It will be a day
of celebration when God has conquered all his enemies, the last enemy being
death.
God can then
spread the messianic banquet, and all of his people from all nations will sit
down with each other to enjoy fellowship with their God and with each other
It will be a
covenantal meal in which God will fully dwell with his people.
The Last Supper
Here in this study we are focusing the Covenant
Meal Jesus had with His disciples.
It is also known as ‘Last Supper’ or our ‘Lords
Table’.
Jesus used the last supper for introducing the New Covenant.
This new covenant reconciles us with God establishing peace and brings a
close level of fellowship with him.
It has great significance to Christian faith.
It is here where Jesus announces a bi lateral
covenant between Himself and God; Himself and Man and God and Man, for the
salvation and eternal life of men.
Jesus
and His disciples had gathered together to celebrate the Passover meal as was
the requirement under the Law.
But
at this gathering, knowing it was going to be His last meal with His closest
friends, Jesus did something unexpected.
During the Passover supper He took two of the
simple elements that were on the supper table, the bread and the wine.
Jesus used those two elements to seal a very
sacred covenant.
The meal that Jesus shared with his disciples, just before his death, was
the Jewish Passover meal.
Jesus celebrated the Passover to signify its fulfillment through his
imminent sacrifice as the ultimate Passover lamb.
So Jesus was the Passover meal.
Through the sharing of this Passover meal Jesus also instituted the New
Covenant.
Jesus’ last supper bears all the
markings of a covenant meal.
The
covenant meal consists of the meat of the sacrificial animal.
Jesus was having a Covenant Meal with His
disciples.
Soon
after this Jesus was taken away to give His life on the cross and spill His
blood to make a way for all to enter into a Covenant with God through Him.
Here are the words that describe what Jesus did.
Matthew 26:26–28
26
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."
27
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks,
and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28
"For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed
for many for the remission of sins.
29
"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 new with
you in My Father's kingdom."
30
And when they had sung a hymn, they went
out to the Mount of Olives.
(NKJV)
The Covenant Meal
is extremely important to God.
When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper:
·
We bring God in
remembrance of His Word.
·
We are remembering
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross
·
We are reaffirming
our acceptance of, and participation in, the New Covenant that Jesus has
secured for us.
When Jesus is
asked us to reenact the Covenant Meal, he meant:
§ To remember the Covenant Meal
§ Remember His broken body and the shedding of His blood.
What are its purposes?
1.
To commemorate
Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance
of Me.”
In other words, always remember how
the covenant was initiated.
Always remember where this
relationship began.
Never forget that.
2.
To perpetuate it.
We have to keep it always before us.
The Covenant meal is an ongoing
relationship which would never cease, both between Jesus and His disciples and
amongst the disciples themselves.
3.
To renew.
I believe there are times in our
Christian experience when we’re beginning to slip from God’s standards, from
God’s requirements.
And one of the ways that God calls us
back to His standards is by this covenant meal.
Here we are reminded, once again, of what it is
all about, what it cost, what Jesus expects of us.
The Institution of the New Covenant Meal
According to Luke
22, Matthew 26 and Mark 14, the new covenant meal was instituted during the
last Passover supper shared with his disciples.
Matthew 26:26
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat;
this is my body.
(KJV)
Mark 14:22 - 26
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and
blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
23 And he took the cup, and when he had given
thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many.
25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of
the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of
God.
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out
into the mount of Olives.
(KJV)
Luke 22:14 - 20
14 And when the
hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
15 And he said unto them, With desire I have
desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat
thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said,
Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the
fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake
it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do
in remembrance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying,
This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
(KJV)
They directly linked
the old covenant Passover with the new covenant meal.
Jesus ate this
Passover with the anticipation that he would eat it (the Passover) again with
the disciples in the kingdom of God.
The Passover
supper would find its "fulfillment in the kingdom of God" (22:16)
where they would eat and drink at Jesus' table in his kingdom (22:30).
They placed this
new covenant meal on the trajectory (route/path) of redemptive history.
The goal of
redemption is the eschatological community of God in the heavenly kingdom.
Jesus will eat and
drink with the disciples again when the kingdom comes.
The fullness of
kingdom is the reign of God.
However, Luke also
believes that in the person of Jesus, who exorcises demons, the kingdom is
already present (11:20).
And Pentecost was
the inauguration of restored Israel when Jesus' ascent to the throne of David
was proclaimed (Acts 1:6; 2:29-35 with Luke 1:30-33).
Thus, the
fulfillment of which Jesus speaks during the meal has a dual import:
1. It is fulfillment in the new covenant meal of the
inaugurated kingdom.
2. The eschatological banquet.
The language, in
connection with the Passover context, establishes the covenantal character of
this meal.
There is a strong
continuity with the old covenant meals, but there is also a
redemptive-historical fulfillment of the old in the new covenant.
The
type has been fulfilled and taken to a new level.
That fulfillment
in the Lord's Supper anticipates an eschatological fulfillment when the kingdom
of God fully arrives.
§ The Passover meal was a memorial of God’s work in
redemptive history.
The new Covenant
meal is a memorial of Jesus’ work in redemptive history.
§ The Passover remembered the Exodus
The new Covenant
meal remembers the gospel events, the death and resurrection of Jesus.
To eat from the
Lord's Table means to commit ourselves to the Lord's covenant.
To drink the
Lord's cup is to renew our covenant with God through Christ.
So every Lord's Supper
is a covenant renewal for the covenant people.
Through the
covenant meal we proclaim our faith in God's eschatological promises, and we
anticipate the messianic banquet in God's eschatological kingdom.
As we eat and
drink now, we eat and drink in the hope of eating and drinking with Jesus in
the fullness of his kingdom.
A
Communion Meal
The communion of
the altar in the new covenant meal is a communion with the body and blood of
Christ as well as the communion of the many members as one body.
The covenant meal
means to share in the blessings of God's work in Christ.
The Covenant meal
means that we come before him as the one covenant people of God.
Though there are
many members, there is one body of fellowship which is focused on Christ's work.
The covenant meal
is a communal meal where the people of God are united to each other by their
covenant with the one God.
Covenantal
Renewal
When we eat and drink we renew our covenant with God.
We pledge
ourselves to keep the covenant.
Just as Israel
voiced its willingness to obey the covenant, so we ratify the covenant in our
life when we eat and drink.
It is a moment of
rededication and recommitment.
In the context of
the worship experience, we voice our commitment to live worthy of the gospel
(cf. Phil. 1:27).
We vow to take up
our cross, call upon Jesus as Lord and follow him into the world as an obedient
servant.
The Supper is the
ritual moment when we renew the covenant vow we made in our baptism.
When
the New Testament Church eats this meal:
·
It eats the new Covenant
Passover (or thanksgiving meal)
·
It expects the
eschatological victory.
·
It eats in the
light of the resurrected Lord who has conquered death and will remove the
disgrace of his people.
·
The supper is a
meal shared with the risen Lord.
The Presence of Jesus
We are not simply re enacting the drama of Last Supper.
We are re enacting the covenant meal and reaffirming our acceptance of the
covenant.
For affirming or reaffirming the covenant, both parties must be present.
Jesus is present whenever and wherever we participate in the Covenant Meal.
And so when we reaffirm the covenant, Jesus is always present with us through
his Spirit.
We eat this Covenant Meal with Jesus reaffirming His side of the
Covenant as the Saviour and Redeemer who rescues us from the power of sin and
death.
Covenantal
Presence
God has always
promised to live among his people and to be their God.
God is present
among his people in the covenant meal - it is an eating and drinking in the presence
of the covenant Lord.
The presence of
God in the meal, in the tabernacle, in the temple is a covenantal presence.
This presence is
found in the church through the indwelling Spirit by whom we are the temple of
God.
The church is the
habitation of God through the Spirit (Eph. 2:22).
In the covenant
meal, the body and blood of Christ are present through the Spirit.
As we worship in
the Spirit, Christ is present through the covenant meal.
Covenantal Fellowship
Covenantal Fellowship
The covenant meal
symbolizes and mediates the fellowship between God and his covenant people.
It testifies to
the reconciliation which God has enacted and the peace which exists between God
and the redeemed, and between the redeemed.
It is a moment of
joy, communion and thanksgiving.
The people of God
celebrate their reconciliation by God's work; they rejoice in the redemptive
work of God for them.
It is a moment of
communal fellowship between God and his community.
It is a moment of communion with the risen Lord at whose table we eat and
drink.
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