This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you

 

 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

 

- Luke 22:14-30 

 

Yesterday we read that the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, 'Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

 

When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  My study Bible tells us that Christ has a fervent desire for this Passover because this meal will impart the mysteries of the new covenant to His followers.  Moreover, this event will inaugurate the great deliverance of humanity from sin through the power of the Cross.  

 

 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." This first cup is a conclusion to the Old Testament Passover meal which Christ eats with His disciples in order to fulfill the Law.  Until the kingdom of God comes is explained by my study Bible to mean until Christ's Resurrection; at that time He will again eat and drink with His disciples (Luke 24:43; Acts 10:41).  

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."   In the language of the text, gave thanks has as its root the Greek word eucharist (ευχαριστία), which my study Bible says immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Before the end of the first century, a teaching manuscript called the Didache refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  In the year AD 150, St. Justin said of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  Jesus says, "This is My body . . .."  My study Bible comments that the Orthodox Church has always accepted Christ's words as true, "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus" (St. Justin).  See John 6:51-56, 1 Corinthians 11:23-32.

 

"But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.  My study Bible asks us to note that Judas is also invited to this table for the mystical supper, as Jesus is seeking by all means to save him.  Judas' unworthy participation leads to his utter destruction (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-30; compare to Esther 7).  Note the tie between Christ's words regarding "the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you" and the betrayal in the spilling of His blood.

Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves."  My study Bible comments that this small-minded dispute is out of place in the context of the mysteries which Christ has just revealed.  It notes that He corrects the disciples by first comparing them to the power-hungry Gentiles, whom they themselves considered an abomination, and contrasting them to Himself, who serves us even though He is Lord of all.

 

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  My study Bible quotes the commentary of St. Ambrose of Milan on this passage:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  My study Bible comments that the apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but by the witness of their own lives.  Since God's kingdom begins with Resurrection of Christ, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (Matthew 16:19; John 20:23).  

 

 In this initiation of the Eucharist in Luke's Gospel, we read:  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."   Let us begin to consider what this means, that Christ repeats twice this notion of a voluntary sacrifice:   My body which is given for you; My blood, which is shed for you.  In reading about the notion of sacrifice in the ancient world, we discover that sacrifice did not have the kind of connotation that it has for us today.  A sacrifice was a meal which was shared, it created community through that sharing.  Part of the sacrifice, in the Jewish tradition, was burned, and this was the part "for God" at that communal table.  But the point was the sharing, the institution of community, and especially through communal meal.  To share or give a gift for another is also a way of creating community, relatedness in a particular way.  Christ effectively gives Himself -- His Body and Blood -- as a sacrifice once and for all, in order to create community with us.  This is made explicitly clear in His words that His body is given for us, and His blood is given for us (for you is plural).  We become this community through the affirmation of the New Covenant in His blood, again through sacrifice creating a bond.  We are to continue to participate in this sharing, this creation of community (His kingdom) in remembrance of Him, affirming that community and that bond and our participation in His sacrifice.  This community which bears His name, created and affirmed through His sacrifice in which we continually participate, has hallmarks to it that make it distinct from other kingdoms of the world (and indeed, the rule of other kings).  Jesus says, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves."  Our ongoing participation in His sacrifice commits us to the conditions of this community and its way of life that is to be different from the world; it is marked by service, another emphasis on giving, of which His sacrifice for us is our great example.  Service also is in keeping with voluntary sacrifice and giving, not as payment nor penalty, but as a gift to create, nurture, build, and extend community.  This is the Kingdom we inherit and in which we participate as adopted sons and heirs.  Its great bedrock is love, for God is love (1 John 4:8).  This is how Jesus characterizes His sacrifice Himself, for He tells us, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (1 John 15:13).  When we partake of the Eucharist, let us remember its significance as Christ's sacrifice for us, making community, teaching us to participate in it, and laying the foundation of love for His Kingdom in which we are invited to share and to become more "like" Him.  He taught us that "a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" (Matthew 10:24).  A gift, a sacrifice, a service is an act of love meant to create and harbor community, relationships.  Let us think about how and why we, too, will make that investment in our faith, following Him, with careful consideration for where we cast our pearls in so doing.  For betrayal of such sacrifice, even if prophesied, is not without its penalty as well.