The second taking of the cup (in verse 20) receives the most attention. The wine in the cup represents the blood that would seal the New Covenant. We will see this again in Matthew 26:
In Christ's words, the commonality in all the accounts is the covenant. Matthew adds the detail that Christ's blood was shed for the remission of sins, but we need to get the emphasis and order correct. Notice that the remission of sins does not stand on its own. Instead, it is part of the New Covenant. A covenant proposal was taking place here, one that includes the assurance of forgiven sins, but which also includes much more.
Biblically, blood is a symbol for life. As early as Genesis 9:4, God says that we shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. In Leviticus, He reiterates that the life of the flesh is in the blood. The best-known application of this symbology is that blood can indicate the payment for sin. This is because one life symbolically pays the life-debt of another.
The source of the blood used here is significant. The blood designated as the blood of the covenant did not come from a sin offering. In fact, the first sin offering is not commanded until 5 chapters later (Exodus 29:14). Instead, verse 5 here tells us that the blood of the covenant came from burnt offerings and peace offerings. If you recall what the offerings picture, the burnt offering symbolizes wholehearted devotion to God, which certainly fits with the ratification of a covenant. And the peace offering pictures a relationship that is on good terms, such that all the participants are satisfied and can enjoy the abundance of the occasion. It is easy to see why the blood that sealed the Old Covenant was taken from these two offerings.
In His Passover prayer, Jesus includes a fundamental and priceless aspect of this covenant, that of knowing God personally. Jesus says in John 17:3, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. The establishment of this covenant allows for those entering the covenant to have a relationship - a fellowship, a communion - far beyond what ancient Israel ever had. Jesus calls this relationship eternal life. It is a life of abundance - foremost spiritual - that continues past the grave. This speaks to the quality of life that comes through the New Covenant, a quality that is not dependent on our physical circumstances.
Now, it is crucial to understand that the remission of sins comes through the covenant, not before it. When God calls us, we respond with belief and repentance. When we pledge our loyalty to Him through baptism - accepting His covenant - He then forgives us. When we are put into Christ, we are washed clean (Acts 2:38; 4:12; 8:36-37; 22:16; Romans 6:3-7, 23; Colossians 2:12; Titus 3:4-7). But the blood of atonement is only available to those who have accepted the blood of the covenant.
Neither the Old Covenant nor the covenant with Abraham were preceded by atonement. Instead, God's pattern is to pass over transgressions until He establishes a covenant. It is within the covenant, then, that sin is addressed. With Israel, sin was dealt with only in type - with animal blood. Under the New Covenant, there is not only remission, but also empowering by God to actually conquer sin.
This really is a mouthful. It may be helpful to remember Paul's comment that God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did (Romans 4:17), because the imagery in these verses blends the present and future together. But my focus is on the phrase, the spirits of just [or, righteous] men made perfect, and its connection to the Covenant. This is what the New Covenant does. Having God as our God, and knowing Him, and having His laws put into our minds and written on our hearts, leads to perfection.
Thus, the blood of the covenant - the blood of the Savior - is a symbol, a pledge, of God's purpose to perfect us. In this also we see … . . .
Next, the symbol of the wine represents the covenantal relationship with God:
All three synoptic gospels describe the cup as containing the blood of the covenant, as do Paul's Passover instructions in I Corinthians 11. Matthew adds here that the blood also accomplishes the remission of sins. Notice, though, that the remission of sins does not stand on its own, but it comes through the New Covenant. That covenant contains the forgiveness of sins, but also includes much more (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 8:10-12; 10:16-18).
In His Passover prayer in John 17, Jesus includes another aspect of the New Covenant, that of knowing the Father and Him. This covenant allows for those entering the covenant to have a relationship far beyond what the previous covenant offered - to actually know the Father and the Son. Jesus calls this relationship eternal life. It is a life of abundance - foremost spiritual - that continues past the grave in the resurrection.
Biblically, blood is a symbol for life. The best-known application of this is that blood provides atonement, where one life symbolically pays the life-debt of another. However, the various covenants show a second application, where blood represents life given as a pledge of faithfulness. God ratified the covenant with Israel with blood, and those sacrificial animals gave their lives to symbolize life given as a pledge. Significantly, the blood designated as the blood of the covenant at Mt. Sinai did not come from a sin offering, but from burnt and peace offerings (Exodus 24:4-8). That covenant was sealed before the first sin offering was commanded (Exodus 29:14).
The New Covenant is also sealed with blood, but it is not sprinkled on the outside of those making the covenant, as happened with Israel. Instead, it is ingested into the innermost parts of the person. Rather than being sealed with the blood of oxen, the New Covenant is sealed with infinitely more precious blood, blood that serves as a testimony of eternal life (see I John 5:6-13), as well as a pledge of God's loyalty to those within the covenant:
Notice that God makes us complete through the blood of the covenant. Christ's blood is a pledge that God made that He will finish His extraordinary purpose - one that goes beyond forgiveness and culminates in our spiritual completion. When we are complete, then Passover will be fulfilled. But the forgiveness of sins comes through the covenant, not before it. Before the covenant, God overlooks - He passes over. When we pledge our loyalty to God through baptism, and accept His covenant after repenting, He then forgives us. When we are put into Christ, we are washed clean (see Acts 2:38; 4:12; 8:36-37; 22:16; Romans 6:3-7, 23; Colossians 2:12; Titus 3:4-7). But the cleansing blood of atonement is only available to those who accept the divine blood of the covenant.
Forgiveness is part of the covenant because we need God's forgiveness throughout the process of being made complete. Neither the Old nor the New Covenant - nor the covenant with Abraham - were preceded by atonement. Instead, God makes covenants with those whose transgressions He has passed over. It is within the covenant, then, that sin is addressed. This is why Jesus proposed the New Covenant to His disciples at that Passover observance even before He died to provide atonement the following afternoon.
As we can see, sin is not the focus of Passover. Instead, God's mercy underlies the fellowship He initiates. The much greater focus is on the ongoing fellowship with the Father and the Son, as well as communion with those who partake of that one, living Bread. It is a memorial of Christ's death that sealed the covenant, as well as a grateful observance of our spiritual abundance and hope because of God's faithfulness. It is a solemn yet joyful celebration of the peace and well-being we have in Christ.
The bread and the wine represent the sacrificial meal, which ultimately is Jesus Christ. God accepts those … . . .
Verse 15 tells us what was on Christ's mind, and again, it was not the disciples' sins. Instead, the Son of God had been fervently looking forward to this special occasion - this fellowship - with those whom the Father had given Him (see also Matthew 26:18-29; Mark 14:13-25). Like the Exodus Passover, this Passover was about eating. However, the New Testament Scriptures place the emphasis on the bread and wine. The bread and wine are not new symbols, though, but the original elements of the fellowship meal between Melchizedek and Abraham (Genesis 14:18) on the eve of a historic covenant (Genesis 15). In like manner, this Passover was a fellowship meal on the eve of the sealing of a much-anticipated covenant.
There is not time to explore this completely, but notice that Jesus says that the Passover will not be fulfilled until the Kingdom of God. It is easy to read right over that, but it is a critical part of Passover. The sin offering has already been fulfilled (Hebrews 1:3; 7:27; 9:12-14, 26-28; 10:12, 18), but the Passover has not, as it says here. This is because of Passover's theme of redemption, which is actually a process. This is why Scripture speaks of redemption in both the past (Romans 3:23-25; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14) and future tenses (Luke 21:28; Romans 8:23-25; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30). We have been redeemed from the death penalty, but we still need to be redeemed from this corrupted nature that incurs the death penalty (see Titus 2:11-14). God must redeem us from this flesh - this body of death, as Paul calls it - so we can fully manifest the image of our Creator. Thus, our final redemption occurs when we have been resurrected and have fully taken on the incorruptible nature (see I Corinthians 15:50). At that point, Passover will be fulfilled.
Jesus Christ's body is a multi-faceted symbol. Sometimes Christ's body is a symbol of His death, but at other times it is a symbol of life. So, it says here that the Passover bread represents Christ's body. When Jesus uses bread as a symbol for His body, it is a symbol of life, even eternal life. We won't turn to it, but John 6 explains this symbol very clearly. There, Jesus speaks of bread that endures to everlasting life. He speaks of the bread of God, the bread of life, and the living bread. When Jesus says that He is the living bread (John 6:51), it means that His flesh is not merely something that leads to eternal life, but He indicates a body that is alive. As we partake of the bread, we become one with the living Savior.
