Mark Of The Covenant (Mark 14:22-26)

In 1914, Henry Ford shocked the world. His assembly line had already revolutionized manufacturing. But his new idea was about men, not machines. He announced that he would be doubling his workers’ pay to $5 a day, while cutting the work day from nine hours to eight.

Headlines and editorials around the world amplified the groundbreaking arrangement. Thousands of applicants came to Detroit from all over the midwest and would not leave Ford’s front gate.^[1] But workers didn’t just go home with a crisp fiver in their pocket each day. The cash wage stayed the same. And then, if they met the company’s requirements, they’d share in the profits.

That’s where things take a surprising turn. After unveiling this plan, Henry Ford established a “Sociological Department” to monitor employees lives, habits, and homes. Ford wanted to make sure his workers would use their newfound “largesse” properly.

To qualify for the pay increase, you’d have to keep your home clean, you couldn’t abuse your family, you had to contribute regularly to a savings account. When violations were discovered, inspectors offered counsel and resources offered through the company to help. An employee wouldn’t be able to receive their full bonus until those problems were dealt with.

Less work, more pay, but the contract expected a level of moral righteousness. Many people signed on and stayed on. Employee turnover at Ford fell from 370% in 1913 to 16% in 1915.

In our text tonight, Jesus introduces the Lord’s Supper. It’s not only a memorial. It’s also a new contract between God and man. In this new agreement, there would be less work for God’s people, with more spiritual benefits offered. Yet, some aspects of would’ve stunned His disciples. On the night they celebrate the Old Covenant, Jesus cancels it and inaugurates a new one.

For most Christians, communion is a routine part of our church life. Tonight, we want to focus on how the Lord introduced it, some of the depth of the symbolism within it, address some of the controversies around it, and remind ourselves of what we’re agreeing to as we take it.

Mark 14:22 – ²² As they were eating, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.”

This comes just after Jesus’ prediction that one of His closest friends – would betray Him. It sent a shockwave through the group and each man wondered if they were the one He was talking about.But now Jesus moves right on to what He meant to accomplish that night. He didn’t wallow in self pity or resentment. His work continues. His work for humanity would not be derailed.

Jesus identifies two elements in the Lord’s supper: The bread and the juice. Now remember, this was a Passover meal. Unleavened bread was a major component, but even more prominent was the roasted lamb. The third major element was bitter herbs.^[2]

By the end of the night, Jesus will have set Passover aside and instituted this new meal, comprised of bread and juice. In fact, there’s absolutely no mention of the lamb throughout this scene. Jesus was the Lamb. But this was also an important moment that wraps up the Mosaic system.

Passover had a specific menu, specific liturgy, specific timing, an order of how things were done. The Lord replaced all that with communion. Passover was commemorated once a year, communion can be done at any interval. Paul gives instruction on communion and said, “As often as you do it.”^[3]

There’s grace and kindness here. Jesus could’ve demanded the Lord’s supper be made up of white truffles and bluefin tuna. White truffles are more than $350 an ounce.^[4] Instead, He designated two of the cheapest, most widely available menu items. The rich and the poor can lay hold of communion elements. They are “simple and universal.”^[5]

Jesus not only blesses them with a piece of bread, He says, “This is Me.” He’s sharing Himself. His presence. His spiritual provision for life. It looks forward to the time when the Lord would not be with them, bodily, but He constantly within us, spiritually. Communion reminds us of the continual, day-by-day presence of the Lord in our lives.

Now, many of you know there is disagreement over the nature of the communion elements. Certainly between Catholics and Protestants, but even among some Protestant groups. Catholic doctrine teaches that, during communion, the bread and wine really changes into the substance of Jesus’ body and blood. His actual flesh.^[6] The doctrine is called transubstantiation.

There are more than a few problems with this doctrine. Not least of which is that the words we read in English are not exactly what Jesus said in Aramaic. In fact, in Aramaic, there is no verb “is.”^[7] So, what Jesus literally said was, “This – My body.” And scholars note that “body” didn’t just mean skin and bones. One writes, “To a Semite, the body encompasses the whole person, not just the physical part of oneself.”^[8]

So Jesus handed them the bread and communicated that the bread represented Himself. Not just His flesh, but His Person.^[9] Jesus told many people, “I Am the Bread of Life.” The manna from heaven, given by God to the Israelites in the wilderness, was just a foreshadow of the Bread of Life. If you ate the manna, you were filled, but you still died. Jesus said, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”^[10] When we partake of this offer of salvation, when we join God in this new covenant, then He promises to raise us up on the last day and give us eternal life.

Mark 14:23-24 – ²³ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴ He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

One of the rules that Henry Ford enforced for his employees’ bonus was that none of them were allowed to consume alcohol. His Sociological Department didn’t last long – only about five years – before the company was restructured and most of those requirements went away.

You may have noticed I said “juice” earlier instead of wine. That was on purpose. Typically the liquid element of communion is called “wine.” However neither the Gospels or Paul use the Greek word for wine when detailing the Last Supper. They use another term which means “fruit of the vine.”^[11]

Remember: One of the most essential aspects of Passover was that you would remove all leaven and yeast from your home. And though scholars are divided, some point out that you could not have fermented drink, either. One Jewish rabbi, Dr. S.M. Isaacs wrote, “The Jews do not, in their feasts for sacred purposes, including the marriage feast, ever use any kind of fermented drinks.”^[12]

If they did use fermented wine, it would’ve been heavily diluted – two parts water to one part wine.^[13] And it doesn’t mean it’s wrong when churches use wine today. But it’s always important for us to realize that sometimes our interpretations come more from tradition than from the text.

Now, at Passover dinner, there would be four cups that you would drink from during the meal. Each cup corresponded to one of the four promises given in Exodus 6:6-7.^[14]

The third cup was the cup of redemption. It’s likely it was at this third cup that Jesus announced the change of covenant in His blood. He was about to accomplish His redemptive work.

He gave thanks for it. That’s where we get the term “eucharist,” by the way. It’s from the Greek word that means “thanks.”^[15] But Jesus thankfulness would not have matched the disciples’ response to what He said. This would’ve been an extremely shocking moment.

One commentator writes, “Partaking of human blood was seen as abhorrent by Jews and indeed would likely be seen as drinking someone’s very life or life force.”^[16]

It’s not just a Jewish thing. The Noahic Covenant forbade drinking blood, as did the Jerusalem Council for Christians. But that’s the point. Without the blood of Jesus, there is no remission of sins. His blood would be poured out. That describes a violent death.^[17] But His blood washes us, white as snow, from the inside out. It is an offensive thing to the human mind. But this is what the Lord’s Supper proclaims – that there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves or purify ourselves. The only way we can enter the heavenly sanctuary is through the blood of Jesus. He inaugurated a new and living way through the curtain, as our Priest and sacrifice.^[18] He is manna and Lamb. He is the new exodus, not out of slavery in Egypt, but slavery to sin.

Because of Jesus, we no longer sacrifice an animal for temporary atonement. We no longer work to keep ourselves ritually clean. The Lamb of God laid down His own life and His blood covers all, once for all. As we join this new covenant in His blood, His life comes into us to cleanse us, to transform us, to justify us, to let us share in His nature. And every Christian shares equally.

This new covenant must be sealed in blood. And it could only be established through the blood of the Lamb, the GodMan, the Son of God, because the life is in the blood. It’s all His doing.

Now, that is not to say that we don’t actively participate in this covenant. We are commanded to abide in Christ. To obey His commands. To walk in righteousness, in our lives, in our habits, in our homes. Because if we say we have faith in Christ but our faith does not work or exercise or operate, then that faith is dead. But the accomplishment of salvation and transformation is all of Christ.

Jesus said His blood was poured out for “many.” Some might use this to suggest that Christ’s atoning work was limited – not extending to everyone, but only to the elect. However, That is not what Jesus is saying. Even John Calvin, whose theology differs from ours on the issues of election and salvation, commented on this verse, saying: “By the word many he means not a part of the world only, but the whole human race.”^[19]

Christ’s offer is for whosoever will. He is the Savior of all people, especially those who believe. He is your Savior. Christ went to the cross for you. He poured out His blood because He loves you. Because you need to be reconciled to God and without Him you cannot live forever.

Mark 14:25 – ²⁵ Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new, in the kingdom of God.”

Have you ever waited to see a movie until you could see it with a certain someone? This is a remarkable act of self-denial. That Jesus Christ would withhold something from Himself, even now. But He’s so excited about this work He’s doing, He’s so excited about the plan of God to not only reconcile humans but then bring them to live with Him forever, He’s given Himself this restriction. He refuses to drink from the vine till we’re feasting with Him in the Kingdom.

The third Passover cup was the redemption cup. The fourth was the consummation cup. We don’t get every detail, but it’s possible that as Jesus refused the traditional fourth cup, because the work was not done it. And it’s still not done until we join Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb, depicted in Revelation 19 after His second coming.

Mark 14:26 – ²⁶ After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

At Passover, Jews sang the Hallel Psalms (Psalm 113-118). It wasn’t singing the way we think of it. One member of the table would chant the text, and the others would respond to each half verse with the shout of “hallelujah!”^[20] One scholar writes, “ To our ears, it would be a strange, loud and raucous noise.”^[21]

Psalms 113 and 114 would be sung before the meal, 115 through 118 after. In that closing song, Jesus would’ve recited these words: “I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the LORD has done…[He] did not give me over to death.”

It was near midnight when Jesus announced they were leaving the upper room.^[22] This is also somewhat surprising. At the original Passover, there was a command to stay indoors. Either this ordinance was no longer in effect,^[23] or Jesus also set this ceremonial practice aside. But off they go to Jesus’ betrayal. The new exodus had begun.

The $5 a day contract was incredibly expensive for the Ford Motor Company. But competitors and other industries soon followed suit. The Henry Ford museum writes, “In time, workers in any number of fields were earning genuine ‘living wages’ that afforded them comfort and security above basic food, shelter and clothing needs.”^[24]

The Lord’s Supper inaugurated a new era of relationship with God. A spiritual life that was not defined by rite or ritual, but by the presence and work of the Savior in our hearts and lives moment by moment. With it that work comes the comfort and security of His love and power.

To accomplish this was extremely costly. But Jesus paid it all. Paid in full. So that we could receive Him. His salvation. His presence. His power. His promise of the coming Kingdom. And now, we not only receive, but we participate in the work.

As we partake, it is like the children of Israel painting their doorposts with the blood of the Passover lamb. We recognize that Christ is the Lamb. He is the manna. He is the King and Priest. And He has done much that He might give much to those who will covenant with Him.