A New Covenant

We all subscribe to things. For some of us it is YouTube channels. Others subscribe to podcasts or television stations. What do these subscriptions have in common? They all contribute to how we think and what we believe.

I wanted to talk about the New Covenant that Christ establishes in Mark 14:12-25 at what is commonly called: The Last Supper. I want to discover if Christ is the main factor in contributing to how we think and what we believe: our main subscription.

First, Christ invites us to the table. Although we are tempted to believe that the invitation is far above what we are worth, we are reminded through the gospel that it is fully bought by Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Everyone is invited to the table of the new covenant.

The invitation can be difficult to us for many reasons. Unworthiness makes us believe that God is too good and we are too sinful. Unbelief will have us question if Jesus really is who he says he is. Unwillingness will keep us from dying to ourselves and living fully for him.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross. You can’t out-sin the cross, you can’t eliminate yourself by what you have done. Look at the men at the table! This new covenant is for you and for me. It is fully bought, undeserved, and leads to true life.

Second, there is a temptation that is at work. Judas’ tragic downfall is led by his selfish ambition of what he desires. Judas is creating a covenant of his own terms, one that leads to false life. He has expectations about how he thinks things should be, and when he gives in to that, it leads to his downfall and destruction.

Kenneth Barker says in the Expositors Bible Commentary: “Jesus further identified the betrayer as “one who is eating with me.” To betray a friend after eating a meal with him was, and still is, regarded as the worst kind of treachery in the Middle East (Jesus may have had in mind Ps 41:9).”

The temptation for us is the same temptation for Judas. Scholars have debated why exactly Judas betrayed Jesus, but many agree that he did it because Jesus wasn’t who Judas thought he would be. The disappointment according to his expectations prevented Judas from seeing the Son of God who was standing physically right before his eyes. 

How about you? What is tempting you from participating in a covenant of your own making?

Thirdly, I want to offer a solution. That solution is the powerful act of remembrance. When Christ institutes this new covenant, he pairs it with remembrance. Remembrance fixes our eyes on something greater than ourselves, on the understanding that the gospel is a finished work, one we can rest and put faith in.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, we are told to do this in remembrance of him. For 2000 years, men and women of God have sat around a table in remembrance of Jesus. How do we practically keep our eyes on and remember him?

We read God’s word. Are you dying to hear a word from God? Open his book. It is the word of… God. Don’t say God is silent when your Bible is shut. 

We engage in an active prayer life. If church is the only place you pray you won’t remember. We have to pray more than once a week. Invite Christ into every area of your life. Every decision, every thought, every situation. And keep in mind that prayer is a two-way conversation. This includes stillness and silence before the Lord, allowing him to speak to you. 

We remember in our worship. We sing praise to God and remember what he has done for us. We go beyond the songs by worshiping how we live. We do this by living a life worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1). 

We remember by becoming the hands and feet of Jesus. We live as he lived, and we never forget, because this is how he taught us. 

Remembrance has a power that has sustained the church for 2000 years. Through persecution, trial, martyrdom, war, economic depression, societal collapse, and natural disaster. Remembrance fulfills Matthew 16:18, the gates of hell will never overcome his church.

Christ invites you to a new covenant today. Something far greater than any offer this world extends to you. Will you receive it and walk in it today?