Christ is Risen! Indeed He is!
The words repeated by Orthodox and Catholic believers all around the world remain true. They are even more poignant at this time when we celebrate God’s resurrection power. Some see Easter eggs and spring festivals, we celebrate an empty tomb.
As we commemorate that empty tomb, let us celebrate the new covenant in Y’shua’s blood. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
John 6:53-56 CEVDCI
[53] Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that you won’t live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.
[54] But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day.
[55] My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink.
[56] If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.
A New Covenant 4
So siblings,
We have agreed that a Covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties. They may be agreed on with implications for generations, and are seen as spiritual practices, although some are between humans (e.g., David and Jonathan). We know that each covenant between God and humanity was broken several times by us. Blood covenants meant death to the one who defaulted on the agreement. So, God has every right to destroy us for generations, as that was part of the terms of a blood covenant.
Yet, the Noahic Covenant, through the sign of the rainbow, assures us that God will never wreak vengeance on the earth in totality like the flood (see Genesis 9). To satisfy the terms of the covenant with Noah while holding to the expectations of the Blood covenants, YHWH opted for the blood of an unblemished lamb as symbol and substitution for sin. Of course, a lamb wasn’t slain each time humanity sinned. That might have meant constant killing of sheep, it was an annual event. It was also part of the covenant for freedom, the Passover Covenant.
Self-Check
How many lambs would have had to die to restore our sins if a lamb was killed each time we’re disobedient?
Digging Deeper
If we revert to the first Passover in Exodus 12, we note
Blood was smeared over the door – that was the sign of salvation
The angel of death passed over the marked house, but passed by the unmarked houses. At the unmarked houses, the firstborn male died.
After that Passover, the Children of Israel were able to move forward in freedom
They commemorated that first Passover with several symbols, including readiness to move forward in freedom and feasting on the roasted Passover Lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread.
Thereafter, the Hebrew calendar started at the Passover month.
This redemption could be seen as the final covenant. It was the ultimate act of God’s mercy. Yet, the Children of Israel were perhaps more bitter than the herbs they ingested. It was an though they forgot YHWH’s gift and provision. So the covenant was repeatedly broken.
We know that Y’shua’s crucifixion and trial didn’t coincidentally occur on preparation day. God is never that casual about what matters. A lamb needed to be slaughtered prior to the Sabbath feast, as no work was done on the Sabbath. That would have been on the preparation day. Y’shua’s Passover feast with the disciples would have occurred at least one day before that, as He was crucified on Passover preparation day. It explains Y’shua’s statement that He wouldn’t celebrate the Feast with His followers again until the time of fulfilment in God’s kingdom (see Luke 22:16).
By establishing a new covenant, Y’shua established a new way of understanding the feast of the Passover. The bitterness was gone, but the blood and the body remained. Yet, they were not literally there. They were substituted.
In very practical terms, we recognize that wine would be very accessible to most families. It didn’t matter if the grapes fermented, it was permitted in that remembrance. In drinking wine, Y’shua’s elect would be reminded that their inclusion in YHWH’s and Y’shua’s family tree was found in Him, the True Vine. It was definitely a new covenant in Christ’s blood.
With the new covenant in Y’shua’s blood we find:
Blood smeared on the posts and poured out on the earth as a sign of His salvific work
His slain body, with the blood poured out as protection from eternal death
Through Y’shua’s death (and resurrection), we gain access to eternal life
Commemorating the new blood covenant with bread and wine allowed us to partake of Him fully, symbolising our readiness to enter the Land of Promise, His Father’s House
New life begins for us each time we commemorate Y’shua’s death and resurrection.
Siblings, the bread is also important in the new covenant. Bread was also a staple. It could be made with the least amount of grain, just ask the Widow in 1 Kings 17. In John 6, He fed the multitude, then explained to them that He was their Bread of Life. He insisted that abundant life was only possible when God’s elect ate of His body and drank His blood! (See John 6:35-58, especially verses 53-56).
Like wine, bread was accessible to all. It still is readily available now. It can also be eaten in a hurry, as it was at that first Passover. Christ, our Passover Lamb, is unleavened bread (with no impurity). In Him, we are purified and made whole and wholly holy. Like the loaves that fed the multitude, Y’shua’s body continues to feed the world, satiating our spiritual hunger and restoring us to eternal life.
The Bread of Life has given us life through a new blood covenant, when sin would have left us dead. He is risen. We are free.
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen indeed!
Prayer Point
Thank God for Y’shua’s resurrection and that He is our Bread of Life.
—
May all we seek be found in Christ
