Many will be celebrating the Lord's Supper this Sunday, it may be referred to as communion, or celebrating the "Eucharist" or the moment of thanks Jesus offered to the Father at the last supper just prior to His death. He is quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:25 as saying, “...this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."

Two things can be noted in this statement that Jesus made in the presence of His disciples. First, He made reference to His blood belonging to a “new” testament. The old covenant was confirmed by the blood of bulls and goats and sanctified by levitical priests. Jesus was introducing a new concept, which was His blood as the basis for a New Covenant.

Though the Old Covenant was instituted by Jehovah God, it did not offer the possession of eternal life as a present tense reality. It did not validate its participants to inwardly host the awesome presence of God as does the New Covenant. It only brought them to a place (Sheol-Abraham’s bosom) where they could receive access to eternal life and enter into it “after” death. However, the sacrificial structure of the Law did provide for one person, the high priest, to enjoy entrance into the presence of God once a year on the Day of Atonement.

At this time, Jesus was preparing to bring about a new way of entrance and fellowship with the Covenant-God of Israel, Jehovah. He was providing Himself as a perfect sacrifice through which the Father-God would create and embrace a new family of sons and daughters. This would be accomplished through the blood of Christ He would shed on a cross of sacrifice for them, just hours away.

Secondly, this New Testament was a vehicle through which the Father was to remove the curse of sin and death over humanity. Through the Cross, He would replace the curse with a blessing of new life in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:13-14). It would be eternal life possessed in the present with promises of eternal worth awaiting the believer after death. The blessings of living in relationship with Jehovah here “and” in eternity would be available. Also, material prosperity and physical health would also be available to the participants in this New Covenant.

To make this a reality Jesus died, was raised from the dead, and was seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12-23). So remember then, when you partake of the elements at this special time, you are expressing your faith in the Father’s promise of access into His eternal and physical provision through the New Covenant. It is a covenant that Jesus ratified through the blood of His eternal sacrifice and we have been given freedom to enter into it by faith in Him.

Blessings!