Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Blood of the New Covenant (Matthew 26:26-29)

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The Blood of the New Covenant (Matthew 26:26-29) · Reformed Thinking

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We spend billions of dollars every single year trying to
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secure inner peace. Oh yeah, billions.
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Easily. Right.
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I mean, we chase secular psychology, eastern mysticism,
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self help programs, Wellness retreats.
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All trying to fix the human condition.
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Yeah, because we are just utterly convinced that our
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biggest problem is like a lack of self esteem or maybe a
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failure of socio economic equity or just a lack of proper
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education. Sure, just tweak the environment
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and we'll be fine. Right, but what if our actual
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problem is cosmic treason? Wow, yeah, that changes the
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math. Entirely.
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It really does. What if the solution isn't
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finding yourself, but finding a bleeding substitute?
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Welcome to reformed thinking. Today.
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Our mission in this deep dive is to examine a specific collection
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of exegetical and theological commentaries focusing on Matthew
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26.2629. The institution of the Lord's
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Supper. Yes, we are looking at a
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rigorous verse by verse breakdown of the original Greek
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text, the historical setting of the Passover, and the staggering
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theological weight of Christ's actions in the Upper Room.
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And you know, the reality presented in these commentaries
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cuts right through all our modern therapeutic assumptions
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totally. The actual problem, according to
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the text, is divine, unmitigated wrath against human rebellion,
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and the only answer for that level of guilt is blood.
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Which is heavy. I mean, that is a heavy reality.
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That is the precise gravity we have to carry into this
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discussion. The sources stress that this
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text demands a highly serious, reverent approach, right.
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It actively pushes back against, well, so many contemporary
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entertainment driven church trends.
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Oh yeah, the strobe lights and the smoke machines.
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Yeah, environments that try to placate people with theatrical
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spectacles, you know, motivational speeches
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masquerading the sermons. Like a rock concert.
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Right, but what happens in the upper room cannot be treated
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with casual banter or flippant anecdotes.
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We are looking at the Holy of holies of the Gospel narrative.
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The ratification of the New Covenant.
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Yes, this is the moment the new Covenant is ratified.
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It requires a disposition of awe.
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OK, let's unpack this with a question to frame our entire
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conversation. Yeah, I want you, the listener,
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to think about your own experience.
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That's a good way to start. When you sit in a Pew on a
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Sunday morning and you take a small piece of bread and a
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little cup of juice or wine, do you realize you are
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participating in the fulcrum of all redemptive history?
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Most people don't, I think. Right.
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Do you recognize the sheer weight of what is happening in
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your hands? It is the absolute pivot point
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of human history, and to grasp why it functions as that pivot
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point, we have to look at the physical room and the historical
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timeline. Setting the scene.
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Yeah, we have to understand why Jesus chose this specific night
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out of all the nights in his earthly ministry to institute
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this meal. You didn't just pick a random
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Tuesday. No, not at all.
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He aligned this event with surgical precision.
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Right the backdrop of the Passover.
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This is not some random dinner party or a generic gathering of
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friends. Not even close.
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Jesus intercepts an ancient, divinely ordained Jewish feast.
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Our sources take us all the way back to the 12th chapter of the
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Book of Exodus. Which was what, over a
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Millennium prior to this night in Jerusalem?
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Yeah, over 1000 years prior. Think about the historical
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tension of that original event. The Jewish people were enslaved
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in bitter, brutal Egyptian bondage.
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Making bricks in the mud. Living under the whip of a
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tyrant, Yeah, Yahweh promised a mighty physical deliverance, but
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that deliverance involved a terrifying night of divine
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judgment. The 10th plague.
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Right, the Angel of Death swept through the land of Egypt,
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striking down the first born of every household.
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And the only way an Israelite home was spared, the only reason
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the Angel of death passed over a specific house, was if the blood
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of an unblemished, spotless lamb was painted on the wooden door
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posts and the lentils. That was the only thing.
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The blood physically averted the divine judgement.
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It marked the definitive difference between Wrath and
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Mercy. Precisely if a family decided
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they were good, moral people and didn't need the blood.
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Just skip that step. Yeah, if they skipped the blood,
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their first born died. The judgement was absolute and
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the substitutionary blood was the singular remedy.
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So for over 1000 years, the nation of Israel observed the
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Passover feast to commemorate that massive physical
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deliverance. And it is vital to note that
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this is not some Pagan mythological ritual.
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It's not a generic Greco Roman symposium where philosophers sat
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around drinking wine and debating ideas.
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Rooted in real history. Rooted in historical biblical
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revelation, the Jews were prophetically anticipating a
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greater spiritual exodus. They knew the blood of an animal
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could never finally take away sins.
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Right, Hebrew says that explicitly.
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And here in the upper room, the true Passover lamb is sitting
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right there at the table. OK, here's where it gets really
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interesting. I was reading through the
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historical details from the traditional Passover liturgy
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mentioned in the sources, specifically looking at how the
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meal was structured in the 1st century.
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The cups of wine, right? Yeah, there were four specific
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cups of wine used during the meal.
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The commentaries point out that these four cups corresponded to
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the four promises Yahweh made in Exodus chapter 6.
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All right, let's list those out. Yeah, they were.
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I will bring you out, I will deliver you, I will redeem you,
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and I will take you to be my people.
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So the entire meal was a highly choreographed scripted liturgy.
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Highly scripted. Every child growing up in Israel
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knew this script. But Jesus does something
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stunning. He sovereignly intercepts that
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ancient script. He breaks protocol.
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Exactly. I mean, he takes the third cup.
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Historically, that was known as the cup of blessing or the cup
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of redemption. And right there, in front of men
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who had memorized this liturgy since childhood, he redefines
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its meaning entirely around his own imminent, violent death.
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He takes 1000 years of established tradition, a ritual
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given by God himself, and he says this is now about me.
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Which is an insane claim if you're just a guy.
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Right. Only God Incarnate has the
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authority to edit a divinely instituted ordinance, and the
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contrast in the literary context of Matthew's Gospel makes this
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sovereign authority even more shocking.
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What do you mean by the literary context?
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Well, the sources draw our attention to the immediate
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narratives surrounding this supper.
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Just prior to this moment in the Upper Room, we see the beautiful
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sacrificial anointing of Jesus by a devoted woman at Bethany.
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Oh yes, with the alabaster flask.
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Yeah, she breaks the flask and pours out exceedingly costly
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ointment on his head. It is an act of pure,
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uncalculated worship. And immediately after that
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beautiful act of devotion, Matthew juxtaposes it with the
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actions of Judas Iscariot. The contrast is jarring.
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It is Judas sneaks off to the religious elite, the Pharisees
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and the Sadducees, and he coldly, calculatingly negotiates
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the betrayal of the Son of God. He negotiates the betrayal for
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30 pieces of silver. Which our sources point out is a
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highly specific number. It is the biblical price of a
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gourd slave from Exodus chapter 20.
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One the lowest possible value. Yeah, if an ox gore is a slave
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to death, the owner of the ox pays the slaves master 30
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shekels of silver as compensation for damaged
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property. That is just a brutal detail.
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Think about that analogy for a second.
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Judas treats the creator of the universe like damaged property,
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a massive liability to be liquidated for pocket change.
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While Christ, in the very next scene in the upper Room,
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willingly gives himself as infinite currency to buy back
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his sheep. So what does this all mean?
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Was Judas's betrayal a massive disruption of the plan?
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Like, do God have to scramble to fix a catastrophic failure in
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the timeline? Not at all.
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The commentaries clarify that Christ was never a victim swept
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along by tomotic political events.
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He wasn't backed into a corner. No, his enemies did not control
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the narrative even when they thought they did.
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The scene in the Upper Room is intensely royal and sovereign.
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He's the one giving the orders. Jesus directs the meal entirely.
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He secures the physical room beforehand through a pre
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arranged sign, he identifies his betrayer at the table with
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absolute calm and he completely redefines the ancient signs of
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the bread and the cup. Which proves beyond any doubt
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that the cross is an intentional eternal decree.
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It is not a tragic accident. It is not a failure of His
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earthly mission. He willingly submits to the
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Father's decree to be crushed for the iniquities of His
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people. So if Jesus is in total
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sovereign control of this violently escalating situation,
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the obvious question is, you know, what is his counter move?
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How does he seal this victory? Right, you'd expect a military
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strategy. Yeah, but he doesn't draw a
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sword. Icks U bread.
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Having established his total control over the room and the
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timeline, we look at the first physical action he takes to seal
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this new arrangement. He takes the bread and he breaks
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it. This brings us to the exegetical
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precision of the Greek text. Let's dig into the Greek.
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Yeah, the word used here for blessing the bread is eulogasis.
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It denotes a prayer of profound Thanksgiving and praise directed
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to God the Father. So it's an acknowledgement of
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God's provision, Yes. It is not a magic spell.
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He is not casting an incantation over the elements.
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Absolutely not. The sources explicitly reject
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the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.
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Let's clarify what that is for the listener.
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That is, the historical doctrine claiming the physical substance
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of the bread literally alchemizes or changes into the
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actual physical flesh of Christ, and that the mass is a
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continuous propitiatory bloodless sacrifice offered
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again and again. And the commentaries push back
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on that. The exegetical commentaries
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forcefully push back against that interpretation.
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When Jesus says this is my body, the Greek text uses the
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copulative verb estim. OK, estim.
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What does that mean practically? The sources explain that this
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functions as a metaphor establishing a representative
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relationship. It operates identically to when
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Jesus says I am the door or I am the true vine in the Gospel of
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John. Right.
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No one assumes Jesus turned into a wooden plank with hinges.
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Or a leafy plant. Furthermore, Jesus was
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physically sitting right there at the table.
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He was holding the bread. Oh, that's a great point, yeah.
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The bread in his hand did not literally become the flesh of
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the hand holding it. That violates the fundamental
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nature of the incarnation. So the bread visibly and
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tangibly seals the reality of His Incarnate body.
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The Son of God took on true humanity.
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He had a real physical body with bones and blood and skin to obey
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the law where Adam failed. It displays His active obedience
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to the Father. But wait, let me play devil's
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advocate for a second. If the bread doesn't physically
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change substance, if there is no physical miracle happening on
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the table, someone could easily argue this is just a sentimental
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snack. A bare memorial.
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Yeah, right. A purely intellectual exercise
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where we just think sad thoughts about Jesus.
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How does the text prevent us from reducing this to just a
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moment of quiet nostalgia? The text prevents that reduction
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through the specific verbs Jesus uses.
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He gives a direct command. Take eat action words.
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Yes, He doesn't say look at this and feel sad.
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He doesn't say Observe this bread and ponder its historical
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significance. The command requires receptive
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active faith. So you have to participate.
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Right. The broken bread signifies a
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violent Incarnate sacrifice. His body was subjected to
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immense physical trauma. When the communicant comes to
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the table, they must bring empty hands.
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Empty hands, I like that. The action of taking and eating
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utterly rejects any attempt to contribute human merit,
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religious performance, or personal righteousness to
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salvation. You don't bake the bread.
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No. You receive the bread that is
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given to you. You contribute nothing to the
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meal except the hunger that requires it.
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You receive the body given. You consume the provision.
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OK, so the bread shows the physical body given the
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incarnation of the sun, but then Jesus transitions to the cup.
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And the cup changes the focus. Yeah, the CUP introduces the
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specific legal and sacrificial mechanism that actually secures
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the pardon the blood. This is where we see the
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magnificent unilateral will of God.
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The Greek terminology here carries massive legal and
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theological weight. We're looking at the word for
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covenant, yes. The sources highlight the word
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diathera, which is translated as covenant in our English Bibles.
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But the commentaries point out that math.
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You could have used a different word.
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You could have used Sumthaya. Correct, and the distinction
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between those two words changes everything.
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Walk us through that distinction.
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Well, in the extra biblical Greek usage of the ancient
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world, sumtheka was the common everyday word for a mutual
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negotiated contract between equal parties.
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Like a business deal. Exactly.
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It was a bilateral agreement where 2 kings or two business
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partners would sit down, negotiate terms, compromise and
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sign a treaty. Both sides have leverage, right?
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But the Holy Spirit guided Matthew to use diathe.
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In the ancient legal world, diatheca was a highly specific
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term for a unilateral disposition or a last will and
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testament. A will SO1 sided.
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It is an arrangement established entirely by one party.
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God the Father imposes this gracious arrangement upon His
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elect. He dictates the terms.
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He does not negotiate with fallen rebellious humanity.
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I mean, imagine a billionaire leaves you a massive estate in a
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legally binding will. You don't walk into the
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executors office, pull out a $5.00 bill, and try to negotiate
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the terms of your inheritance. You'd be laughed out of the.
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Room. Yeah.
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You don't haggle over the percentage, you just receive the
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inheritance because it is a unilateral disposition.
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The benefactor determine the terms before you ever entered
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the room. That's a perfect analogy.
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So since this covenant is entirely unilateral and non
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negotiable, what happens to the popular modern concept that we
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just need to meet God halfway? Oh, it completely demolishes the
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idea of meeting God halfway. You cannot meet God halfway
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because you are spiritually bankrupt and hostile to Him.
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You're dead in trespasses. Right.
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He accomplishes the salvation entirely on his own, and the
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text describes how he accomplishes it.
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Look at the phrasing for cord out.
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Let's check the Greek on that. The Greek word is econominon.
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It is a present passive participation that indicates a
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violent, dushing life ending bloodletting.
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It is not a minor paper. Cut No.
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It is a fatal sacrifice, and the text specifies that this blood
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is poured out for many. OK, for many, that's a crucial
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phrase. The commentaries note that this
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phrasing establishes definite, particular atonement.
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It guarantees the actual concrete salvation of the elect.
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The sources mentioned that this specific phrasing directly
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refutes the Armenian concept of a hypothetical salvation.
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Let's unpack how the commentaries frame that
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theological clash. The sources impartially report
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the exegetical arguments against the Armenian view.
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Right, we're just looking at what the commentaries say here.
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In Armenian theology, the idea is often that Christo's death
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simply made salvation a hypothetical possibility for
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everyone, but it actually secured salvation for no one
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until the fallen human will activates it through a decision.
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Like it just fills up a bank account that anyone can tap into
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if they choose. It views the cross as creating a
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potential reservoir of grace. But the commentaries argue that
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the text of Matthew utterly rejects a hypothetical cross.
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Because of the phrase poured out for many, yes.
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The phrase poured out for many means the blood is shed to
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actually secure purchase and guarantee the salvation of a
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specific definite people. So it doesn't just make
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salvation possible. Right.
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The blood does not merely make men savable, it actually saves
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them. And it is poured out
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specifically for the forgiveness of sins.
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That short phrase is a direct confrontation to several major
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theological errors in our modern landscape.
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Oh, absolutely. The commentaries point out that
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this single phrase dismantles the entire framework of the
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prosperity gospel. Which is everywhere today.
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The prosperity gospel falsely claims that God primarily
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desires to give you earthly wealth, physical health, and
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temporary material success. It treats God as a cosmic
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vending machine for your personal ambitions.
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Put in enough faith, get out a blessing.
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But Christ did not pour out his holy blood so you could get a
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promotion at work or buy a nicer car.
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He poured it out for the forgiveness of sins against an
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infinitely holy God. And the sources also state this
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phrase confronts liberal theology.
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Right. Yes, theological liberalism
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tries to reduce Jesus to a mere moral example of love.
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A good teacher who died a tragic martyr's death while completely
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denying his wrath, bearing substitution.
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They want the cross without the blood atonement.
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But you cannot read Poured out for the forgiveness of sins and
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conclude Jesus is just a life coach.
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You really can't. The underlying problem of
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humanity is objective legal guilt before a righteous judge,
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and the only answer for legal guilt is the shedding of blood.
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Because without the shedding of blood there is no remission of
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sins. The text is unyielding on that
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point. Completely unyielding.
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So the pouring out of blood implies a final, fatal end.
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Death is imminent. The shadow of the cross is
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falling directly over the upper room.
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The tension is huge here. But right when the tension is at
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its absolute peak, the text immediately pivots.
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It forces the disciples and us to look past the crucifixion.
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Jesus leaves the meal almost unfinished.
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He makes a startling, triumphant promise right after Speaking of
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his violent death. He says he will not drink the
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fruit of the vine again until that day when he drinks it new
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with them and his father's Kingdom.
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He promises a future physical reunion.
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This roots Christian eschatology in a physical, victorious
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consummation. The cross is not a defeat.
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It is not the tragic end of a failed political revolutionary.
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It's the beginning. The promise to drink wine again
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with his disciples guarantees the resurrection.
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It shows that the grave could not possibly hold him.
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He's already looking past the tomb to the eternal celebration.
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And the sources connect this directly to the grand narrative
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of Scripture, pointing specifically to the marriage
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supper of the Lamb described in Revelation 19.
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A massive banquet. History is not spinning out of
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control. It is marching purposefully
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toward a specific, ordained destination where Christ will
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physically return, vindicate his bride, and sit at the table with
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his redeemed people. It gives you an anchor.
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Our sources note that this future orientation, this promise
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of a coming Kingdom, protects the Church from 2 massive
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opposite extremes. We always tend to fall into
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ditches on either side. We really do.
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On one side you have over realized triumphalism.
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This is the error of acting like the Kingdom is fully and
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completely here right now, demanding perfect health, 0
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suffering and total political dominion in this present age.
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The Glory Right Now crowd. Yeah, on the other side you have
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pessimistic despair. This is the era of acting like
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the world is only darkness, retreating into a bunker
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mentality and believing the enemy has already won the war.
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Both of those extremes fail to grasp the tension of the Lord's
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Table. We live in the already, but not
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yet. We live between the finished
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work of the cross and the final consummated Kingdom.
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We have the pardon, but not the full possession yet.
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Right. We have the pardon, but we do
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not yet have the full possession of the glorified state.
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I have to ask about that tension, though.
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Put yourself in the sandals of the original disciples.
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Jesus leaves the meal unfinished, almost like handing
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them an RSVP to a future wedding banquet.
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See you at the feast, yeah? But for those specific men
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walking out of that upper room, it meant walking into the
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darkness of Gethsemane. It meant walking into betrayal,
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brutal arrest, panic, And eventually, for almost all of
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them, the executioner soared. That's the reality of their
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lives. So how does a promise about a
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future banquet help you when you are facing a Roman firing squad
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tomorrow? How is that practical?
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It is intensely practical because it anchors your soul in
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an objective certainty outside of your current circumstances.
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Outside of the immediate pain. Yes, the one who made the
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promise to drink the wine new in the Kingdom is the very one who
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conquered the grave three days later.
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He proved he could keep the promise.
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Exactly. The disciples failed
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spectacularly that very night. They scattered in terror.
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Peter vehemently denied even knowing him.
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With curses even. But the promise of the Kingdom
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did not rely on their courage, it relied entirely on his poured
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out blood. Wow.
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When those same men later faced intense persecution when James
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was put to the sword by Herod, when Peter faced a cross of his
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own, they knew the story did not end with the executioner.
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It ends with the banquet. The future is as secure as the
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blood that was already shed. Their ultimate vindication was
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guaranteed. So understanding the massive
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theological weight of the bread, the blood, and the future
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Kingdom forces us to ask a highly personal question.
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We reach a critical crossroad regarding the demands of the
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table. How we apply this today?
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Exactly how must the listener approach this table today?
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The application laid out in the commentaries is incredibly
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strict. They insist on the necessity of
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fencing the table. Let's explain what fencing the
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table means. Fencing the table means the
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elders or pastors of a church guard the ordinance from being
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profaned. Because this meal signifies the
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new Covenant in Christ's blood, it is exclusively for true
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believers. It's not an open buffet.
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No, the local church must practice regenerate membership.
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It is not a casual community meal for the general public to
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feel included. It is a covenant whole family
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meal exclusively for the redeemed.
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And the sources bring in a severe warning from the Apostle
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Paul in First Corinthians 11 to back this up.
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Yes, the danger of unworthy participation.
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The commentaries highlight Paul's warning that to partake
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in a flippant, careless or unrepentant manner is to
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literally eat and drink divine judgment upon your own soul.
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Which is terrifying. It should.
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Be If you come to the table while cherishing secret sin, or
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harboring bitter resentment against a brother, or treating
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the elements as a meaningless snack, you are trifling with the
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holy blood of the Son of God. The consequences are real and
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severe. The text unapologetically
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excludes falsehood. The commentaries are very
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specific and unyielding here. They impartially report that
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this text confronts and excludes what they classify as false
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religions. The sources name specific
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groups. Yeah, they specifically name
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groups like Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witnesses.
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The reasoning provided by the exegetes is that those specific
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groups officially deny the eternal deity of Christ and the
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substitutionary wrath bearing efficacy of His blood.
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They deny the core reality. Right.
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Therefore, because they deny the very realities the elements
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represent, they have no part in this table.
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Additionally, our sources state that this text categorically
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forbids using the Lord's Supper to advocate for social justice
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causes, political crusades, or cultural activism.
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The table is strictly and exclusively about the scandalous
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justification of the ungodly through propitiatory blood.
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The unity at the table is bounded exclusively by the truth
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of the biblical gospel. You cannot have ecumenical unity
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with those who deny the core tenets of the Christian faith.
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You just can't. The table unites believers in
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the truth, but it also separates the Church from the world and
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from false teaching. Let me ask a pastoral question
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for the listener right now. If the warning about divine
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judgment is this severe and the table is fenced, this strictly
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human logic says the safest bet is just staying away entirely.
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Oh, I've heard people say that. Right.
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If I am a bruised, struggling Christian, heavily aware of my
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own miserable failures this week, how do I approach this
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without falling into morbid, paralyzing introspection?
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I might sit in the Pew and think I yelled at my kids.
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I failed at work. My thought life is a mess.
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I am way too sinful to take the bread today.
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I should just pass the plate. That is a very common and
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understandable fear, but the sources clarify a vital life
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giving distinction. What's the distinction?
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The table is not a prize for the strong.
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It is not a reward for Christians who had a.
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Perfect week, the Gold Star for good behavior.
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Right. It is nourishment for the weak,
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the sick and the struggling. The worthiness required to
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partake is not sinless perfection.
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If sinless perfection were the standard, the table would be
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empty forever. No human being could ever
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approach it. Even the original disciples
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would have been utterly disqualified right there in the
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Upper Room. Right on the spot.
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One was currently betraying him, one was hours away from denying
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him with curses, and the rest were about to run away into the
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night like cowards. You were a mess.
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A total mess. The required worthiness is a
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sincere, repentant resting on Christ alone.
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You examine yourself to ensure your faith is resting entirely
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in His finished work, not in your own miserable performance.
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You stop looking inward and look to Christ.
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Yes. You confess your sins, you
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acknowledge your desperate daily need for the bleeding
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substitute, and you come. The bruised Reed should not flee
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from the Savior who gives Himself so freely.
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If you are grieving your sin, the table is spot on where you
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belong. You come with empty hands.
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You don't bring a resume of your good deeds to prove you deserve
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the bread. You take the bread and you drink
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the cup, knowing your guilt is fully covered by the unilateral
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will of the father, secured by the blood of the son.
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Man, Let's recap the incredible narrative arc we've covered
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today. Christ sovereignly takes an
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ancient Passover meal, a divine tradition over 1000 years old,
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born in the bitter slavery of Egypt.
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An ancient shadow. He redefines it completely with
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his own broken Incarnate body and is violently poured out
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blood. He secures unilateral, non
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negotiable forgiveness for his elect people, satisfying the
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terrifying wrath of God. A unilateral disposition.
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And then he guarantees a future physical banquet in the
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consummated Kingdom, proving that the grave is not the end of
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the story. He bridges the ancient, bloody
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shadows of the Exodus with the glorious, victorious future of
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Revelation, all orchestrated right there in the tension of
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the Upper Room. As we wrap up this deep dive
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into Matthew 26, I want to leave you, the listener with a final
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provocative thought to ponder. Something to think about all
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week. The next time you sit in church
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and you hear the words of institution, the next time you
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see the bread and the cup pass down the aisle, consider the
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terrifying goodness of God. A purely good judge must
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mercilessly punish crimes. Otherwise, he's a corrupt,
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wicked judge who sweeps evil under the rug and.
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God is a perfectly good judge your.
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Crimes against an infinitely holy God carry an infinite
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penalty. So ask yourself, have you been
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trying to pay that massive, incalculable fine with your own
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good deeds, your own religious performance, your own fragile
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morality? Or are you hiding completely and
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exclusively behind the bleeding substitute who already paid the
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fine in full? The physical elements resting on
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the community table preach the only acceptable payment in the
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universe. Rest entirely on the finished
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work of the Cross. Thank you for joining us.