The New Covenant Meal

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Hebrews 8:6–9

But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant of which he is mediator is also better and is enacted on better promises.
For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one.
But showing its fault, God says to them, “Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them” says the Lord.

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Eating together = public display of friendship/unity
Explorer in west Asian desert captured by Arab nomads
Paul talks about the problem of eating temple food
1 Cor 10:21 “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
He said: If you don’t know where it’s come from, don’t ask!

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,
and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.
And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

Feast in memory of freedom (remembering is behind what we are about to do)
Jesus frequently ate with members of society who were despised, and regarded as unclean.
- We can see the significance attached to sharing a meal by the reaction of his critics,
1. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.
2. As Jesus was having a meal in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples.
3. When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Mat 9:9–11
So, to summarize, the cultural meaning is much stronger than in our culture
- Powerful idea of expressing unity by eating together
- Jesus is thought of as being here and part of the unity

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Isaiah 25:6

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

Everyone who is part of the body, and not living in disunity
If you have an issue with someone else here, sort it out first!
If you have some kind of rebellious behaviour towards God, (=disunity) repent first!

If you are feeling very guilty for your sinfulness
- You are in exactly the right place!
If you are not a Christian, then you need to decide
- To eat is a statement that you want to follow him