The Blood of the Covenant
March 21st, 2008 • Posted in Messages/Sermons • 670 views2008 Easter Message
The Blood of the Covenant
Matthew 26:1-29
Key Verse: 26:27-28
“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”
Today’s passage records several incidents that occurred right before Jesus’ crucifixion. People were busy making preparations for the upcoming Passover. We can especially see how the Jewish religious leaders, a woman, Judas Iscariot and Jesus prepared for the Passover. What each one did during this time was very different. However, their actions revealed their character. Through the study of this passage, let’s examine our hearts and prepare ourselves for the upcoming Easter.
First, the Jewish religious leaders (3-5)
Look at verses 3-5. “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. ‘But not during the Feast,’ they said, ‘or there may be a riot among the people.’” The chief priests and the elders of Israel were the ones who should have hosted the Passover Feast to bring spiritual revival to the nation. They could have restored people’s faith in God by helping them to remember God’s grace of deliverance throughout history. They especially had a great opportunity to revive the nation’s spiritual condition because of Jesus. During the last three years, they had seen God’s special grace through Jesus, who had proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of heaven. They heard him speaking remarkable truths of God in such a plain way that anybody could understand them. God’s power and mercy had been revealed through Jesus’ miraculous healing ministry. They could have invited Jesus as a main messenger and could have the most memorable Passover Bible Conference. They should have been busy in preparing meaningful Passover Festival. But they were busy in doing something else.
They held an emergency meeting, conspiring to arrest and kill Jesus. Religious leaders were not happy about Jesus at all. They were jealous of his popularity and they felt their position as national leaders were threatened by his powerful teaching. They also felt that their national security was threatened by Jesus. They wanted to remove Roman power from Israelites. But Jesus seemed to have no interest in that matter. On the contrary, Jesus acted like pro Roman by saying to pay tax to Roman Empire. They also thought that Jesus would destroy their Jewishness by breaking the Law, such as Sabbath Law. So they gathered together in the midst of their busy schedule to discuss, plan and plot to kill Jesus. They must have been thinking they were doing very important job in serving God and for their country. However, they were doing extremely evil things before God.
Why did they become so worldly and evil instead of being spiritual? It was mainly because they sought the security on Earth both for themselves and for the nation. Our national situations are not much different from theirs. After 9.11, national security became the most urgent policy in our country. It costed already thousands of soldiers’ lives, engaging in two wars and thousands billion dollars. News for Upcoming economic recession and record breaking gas price darkens people’s hearts. In order to secure the future , many people join more insurances, such as life insurance, education insurance, disability ins, unemployment ins, car ins, fire ins, flood ins, medical accident ins, extra saving Ross IRA. Etc.. Because of the high living expenses, people need more income. Then they have to work more doing overtime and get tired and stressed out more. And they have less time for spiritual struggle. People become more anxious and spiritually dry out. I am not saying that we don’t need insurance. What I am saying is due to our lack of trust in God, because we are attached too much to an earthly security, our life can go spiritually to wrong direction.
In this vicious cycle of insecurity, people gradually become more selfish, indifferent, ruthless, greedy and finally become evil. What is the remedy for this? God wants us to put our security in God’s kingdom and to live as a pilgrim on earth. Jesus commanded us to give and to lose things in this world to gain the security in God’s kingdom. Jesus encouraged us to lose even our lives on earth to gain eternal security in Heaven. Jesus commanded us to seek his kingdom and righteousness first. This is the way God’s people lives on earth. This is difference between God’s people and worldly people. This is the way we can live a victorious life on earth not as a slave of insecurity.
M. Joseph Kim has been out of job for several years. He has no Green Card. He is not healthy enough to work and has a lot of grey hair on his head. Outwardly, he has no security on Earth. He should be the most pitiful man among us. However, he is not gloomy at all. He is the one who serve God’s flock the most diligently. His life proves that he put his hope and security in Heaven not on earth. I believe that he is living a victorious life more than anyone else among us. I believe that God will surely grant nursing position to M. Maria Kim. May God bless us to overcome the world by seeking eternal security in Heaven.
Second, Is it waste or beautiful thing? (6-13)
Knowing that his death on the cross was approaching, Jesus must have felt distressed. Even his own disciples didn’t understand what was going through his mind and heart. Actually, they only thought about their positions in the earthly messianic kingdom. Jesus must have felt rejected and lonely. However, there was a young lady who became a great comfort to our Lord Jesus.
Look at verses 6 and 7. “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.” It’s difficult to identify who Simon the Leper was. It is possible that Simon used to be a leper and had been cured by Jesus. According to John’s account, the woman who came to Jesus with an alabaster jar was Mary, the sister of Martha. Mary was always attentive to Jesus’ teaching, sitting at the feet of Jesus. It seems that on this occasion, she understood the meaning of Jesus’ impending death much better than the Twelve. She obviously sensed that his death was for the salvation of the world, including her own. When she thought about Jesus’ grace and his upcoming death, she had to show her deep gratitude and adoration to him.
When Jesus was about to eat and reclining at the table, she came to him with an alabaster jar of perfume, which she poured on his head. What an unexpected baptism it was! The perfume she poured on his head must have flowed over his eyes and mouth and begun to drip onto his clothes and his food! According to John’s account, she even wiped his feet with her hair. How it must have tickled. After all, the perfume she poured on his head was extremely expensive. Its value was around $40,000 to $50,000. These days, one of the most expensive perfumes in the world is Clive Christian NO 1, which worth $2,000/Oz. It seems that she had completely lost a sense of etiquette and economy. It surprised everyone at the dinner table.
Look at verses 8 and 9. When the disciples saw what had happened, they were furious. They said, “What a waste of money. She could have sold her perfume at a high price and given the money to the poor. She must be insane.” Obviously, Mary was hurt by their rude remarks. But what did Jesus do? Look at verse 10. When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened by saying “Stop giving her a hard time. She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
What does he mean by saying “She has done a beautiful thing to me”? These day, most young people want to be cool. What is the cool thing to do? Having an iPhone is cool and having a boyfriend or girlfriend is cool. Driving Honda S-2000 is cool. Studying the Bible is not considered cool. According to the disciples’ standards, what the woman did was not so cool. Yet, to Jesus, what she did to him was not only acceptable, but would be remembered as the most beautiful thing in history. Look at verse 13. “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
In responding to the same incident, disciples said, “Why this waste?” But Jesus said, she has done a beautiful thing to me.” Was her action a waste or beautiful thing?
First, if Mary had offered the perfume to Jesus without breaking the jar, disciples wouldn’t say that “Why this waste” because they could use the perfume money for themselves to buy hamburgers. People tend to think that as long as they use money for themselves is not a waste but the opposite is waste. For example, when people buy $1,000 Lap Top or $400 NorthFace winter jacket, they never say that they wasted money though they spent a lot of money. However, if a homeless approaches to us to beg but we have only $100 bill. Would you give that money to the homeless? Most of us would think “Oh that’s too much. I cannot waste my money” How about $20? Disciples thought perfume was wasted because they couldn’t use that money.
The second reason was that they could not use that money for the poor. We call this as Humanism, which is a high level of morality. However, if they were really men of integrity, they would have no reason to be upset to Mary. They could help the poor with their own money, not with Mary’s.
Then, why did Jesus consider her actions so beautiful? Look at verses 11 and 12. “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.” First of all, her act was considered beautiful because it was an act of her genuine love and worship. When she poured perfume on Jesus, she worshiped out of deep gratitude and adoration. Being absolutely controlled by her love and thankfulness, she gave him everything –her most treasured possession, her mind, heart, strength and soul. She could not measure the worth of the grace of Jesus. She felt so special to know Jesus personally. She knew that compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus, her perfume was too little.
God entrusted us time, energy and material possessions. We are steward of these things. If we use our possessions only for ourselves, that would be wasting. Although, we live in good house, eating gourmet food and driving good car, all these things will go away someday. These have no eternal value. However, genuine love and devotion to Jesus is the most admirable and beautiful thing in the eyes of God. Although the woman probably didn’t realize that she was actually preparing Jesus’ body for his burial, Jesus saw her act of worship as preparation for his death and burial.
From time to time, our dedication to our Lord Jesus is misunderstood by others. When they see us spending so much time, energy, money for serving the Lord and his flock, they think that we are wasting our lives for nothing. But in the eyes of our Lord Jesus, our genuine dedication and worship is the most beautiful thing to him. The beauty of U.B.F ministry is total dedication. I still remember that when I was a college student, student shepherds wrote 10 pages of Bible testimony spending 8 hours for each testimony. Bible Testimony sharing meeting took more than 5 hours for the group of 6 or 7. It sounds crazy to us now, but students dedicated their time, energy and money to study Bible and to serve Bible students. They are the one who spread out throughout the world as lay missionaries.
There are many beautiful men and women in history, who gave their entire lives to Jesus, such as Mother Teresa and Mother Barry. Did they waste their lives? NO! We all agree that their lives are so beautiful because of their devotion to Jesus.
The life of Saint Paul was like a drink offering. From the time he realized the grace of forgiveness of sins upon his life, he offered his body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. He poured out his heart, strength, time, youth and all that he had, like a drink offering as his sacrifice and service for God. During the last days of his life, he had to spend much of his time in prison. Life was not easy for him at all. His future didn’t seem promising or secure. But he didn’t feel sorry for himself. He fully gave himself to the Lord, entrusting himself to the hands of God Almighty. As a result, his heart was filled with joy, peace and the spirit of thanksgiving. He said in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Our physical lives and physical beauty are temporal and quickly fade away soon. But our spiritual life and spiritual beauty last forever. If Mary had used her alabaster jar of perfume for herself, her life might not have been so beautiful. If she had sold her alabaster jar and given the money to the poor, it would have been great. But Jesus would not have praised her as he did. Our lives are most beautiful when they’re broken and fully dedicated to the Lord, who is worthy of our praise and honor.
Third, Judas Iscariot (14-25)
Before explaining the significance of his death, Jesus made an announcement that shocked everybody. Look at verse 21. “I tell you the truth; one of you will betray me.” Greatly distressed, the disciples began to ask him, “Surely not I, Lord?” But Jesus said more disturbing words in verses 22 and 23, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Apparently, Jesus’ words were a direct warning to Judas Iscariot. But Judas replied, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”(25) Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.” The case of Judas Iscariot disturbs us a lot. We ask ourselves, “Was Judas born doomed to betray Jesus?” “Am I born to betray?” “Is anyone born to be doomed?” The answer is “No.” The Bible says that God does not want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance, including Judas Iscariot. (2 Pe 3:9) Therefore, nobody is doomed to betray Jesus. Judas could have been forgiven if he had repented of his sins and accepted the grace of forgiveness of sins. Perhaps, Judas Iscariot thought that he was smarter than Jesus. His failure is not the fact that he betrayed Jesus, but the face that he failed to repent. Fourth, the blood of the covenant (26-29)
God sent Jesus to this world so that he could establish the everlasting covenant through which any person, no matter what terrible the sins he or she might have committed, can have an inseparable love-relationship with God. For this, Jesus had to become the sacrificial Lamb at the Passover. Jesus had eagerly waited for this Passover so that he could explain the significance of his upcoming death. Look at verses 26-28. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” When we read the Scriptures, we learn that our God is the God of covenant. God established covenants with Noah, Abraham, the people of Israel and David. The word “covenant” means “a solemn agreement.” It’s more than a business contract. Once we have a covenant relationship with God, we have an inseparable love-relationship with God, like the relationship between a father and son. In fact, the people of Israel betrayed their God many times in history. But God had never wanted to break his relationship with them even though he often chastised them. In order for a covenant to be effective, it always had to be sealed with blood through animal sacrifice.
Why has it to be sealed with blood? It’s because the life of the flesh is in the blood. (Lev 17:11) Our physical life is mainly sustained by blood. Blood is a mysterious fluid that circulates through our entire bodies every four-five minutes. It delivers nutrients and oxygen, as well as hormones and other substances, to the cells and takes away carbon dioxide and other waste products. The life of the flesh is in the blood. That’s why the covenant had to be sealed with blood.
However, the blood of animals didn’t actually have power to cleanse our sins, not even a single sin of men. Yet, God commended this sacrificial system to be observed for many years in order to provide a temporary cover for people’s sin until the Supreme Sacrifice would be made. (Heb 9:13) The old covenant was an imperfect and temporary covenant, which God intended to replace with a new, perfect and eternal one. Now, through the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross, the temporary covenant had expired and the new and everlasting covenant became effective. The blood of Jesus is holy and powerful. Hebrews 9:13 and 14 say, “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!”
At the last supper, Jesus told his disciples that from then on, they didn’t need to observe the Passover. Instead, they should observe the Lord’s Supper, the communion by eating his body and drinking his blood. What Jesus had done on the cross through the shedding of his blood is the climax of God’s redemptive history.
Sins are like germs or virus. We can not see the germs but they are all over the places, such as on our hands, in the mouth and food, door handle, and especially on the dollar bill. We cannot be freed from the existence of sins. Sins within us are always stronger than us. But the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from all dirty and ugly sins. In fact, there is power in the blood of Jesus. Though our sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow through the blood of Jesus. Though our sins are red as crimson, they shall be like wool through the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus can make us righteous before the Holy God. All other grounds are sinking sand but the blood of Jesus is the rock on which we can stand. Jesus said in John 6:24, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.”
Many people try hard to change their bad habits with willpower and only fail. They despair again and again and think that they are doomed to remain cursed. We want to live beautiful lives. But we often find that we are powerless and selfish, like the Jewish religious leaders and Judas Iscariot. We wonder why we are so powerless. But we must know that in order to live a victorious life, holy and pleasing to God, we need to depend on the power of the blood of Jesus. Jesus said, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” The blood of Jesus is sufficient. It can energize us with its sanctifying power. It supplies us with spiritual nutrients that can protect and sustain our spiritual lives and make us healthy and strong.
In order to experience the power of blood, Jesus’ blood has to be circulated in our body, not only one day but everyday. In order to do that, We need to come to the place of prayer everyday and meditate and obey the words of God. When Jesus’ blood circulates through the veins in our body, we can be full of Jesus’ life. We can be new creations. Hebrews 10:19-22 say, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over us the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Praise Jesus our Lord, the Lamb of God, who was slain for our sins from the foundation of the world. May the Lord help us to accept the blood of the covenant newly in our hearts and live truly beautiful lives, holy and devoted to him.
