My blood of the Covenant

Mark 14:22-25
And while they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

Peter and John made sure the Passover dinner was ready for their Rabbi and His disciples.

The lamb was purchased, sacrificed in the Temple then prepared in the home where the meal would be celebrated, typically on the first night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The meal had to be eaten within the walls of Jerusalem, traditionally by a group that included at least ten men, the “minyan” (count) needed for God to be properly sanctified.

A small but significant portion of Jesus’ words from that Passover meal are preserved for us in the Synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26–29; Luke 22:14–23; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ).

 
- The Blessings / Giving of Thanks. These were likely the words typically spoken at certain points in the Passover meal just as they are in the modern day Passover Seder (“order,” “procedure”) dinner:
"Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz."
"Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”
"Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boreh p'ri hagafen."
"Blessed are You, God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.”

- The significance of bread and wine. There were several dishes consumed at the meal Perhaps the item of greatest note was the Passover Lamb. Meat was not a usual part of their diet and was reserved for special occasions. Jesus could have highlighted any of these items. He chose bread and wine and made the symbolic connection of them to His body and blood.

 
- The connection between covenant and blood. All four accounts include references to the symbolism of the wine as Jesus’ blood. In fact, this is the only place in Mark’s gospel where the word “covenant” is mentioned. A covenant is a deal, a compact, an arrangement. A covenant sealed in blood is of special, deep significance whether it includes the blood of sacrificial animals or the blood of the two covenant parties mingled as a symbol of their deep, abiding commitment to the pact and to one another. Those who enter a blood covenant are forever bound together in a relationship characterized by loving-kindness (khesed): strong, steadfast, generous and gracious love.

 
This is the covenant Jesus instituted at this Passover meal, His Last Supper.

It is the New Covenant promised through the prophet Jeremiah (31:31-34).

It is the way that the Lord has chosen to commit Himself to us.

 
And it is the way He expects us to be committed - in love that is more than mere love -
to Him and to one another.