Creator, Father, King #219

Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

NEWER IS OFTEN BETTER. Which would you rather have—a cord-in-the-wall rotary phone or a smartphone? A horseless carriage or a Ford Mustang GT? An outhouse or indoor plumbing?

You get the point!

On Thursday night of Passion Week, Jesus told his disciples that his imminent death and resurrection would replace something old with something newer and much better. As he passed around the wine during the Passover meal, he said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20, ESV).

The disciples probably didn’t fully grasp the meaning of Jesus’ statement at the time, but it was packed with history and promise. The advent of a new covenant naturally means there was an old one. But what was it, and why did it apparently need to be replaced?

What’s It Mean?

The old covenant was the Mosaic law that God gave Israel after delivering them from Egypt. God promised to bless his people if they remained faithful to him, but the Israelites transgressed God’s laws and broke his covenant. Ultimately, the Old Testament laws and sacrifices were never meant to save the Israelites from their sins but to show them how much they needed a Savior (Hebrews 10:1-4).

In the sixth century BC, as the southern kingdom of Judah was being exiled to Babylon, God said through the prophet Jeremiah, “The day is coming . . . when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). God said he would not write this new covenant on tablets of stone, like the old covenant, but he would “put [his] instructions deep within them, and . . . write them on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33).

As today’s verse says, Jesus fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy! Through his death and resurrection, Jesus initiated the new covenant. The new covenant is all about God’s forgiveness through Christ’s atoning work on the cross. It’s all about mercy, grace, and forgiveness. It’s all about God changing human hearts by his Spirit.

This is the covenant we get to partake in through faith in Jesus!

Old or new covenant? It’s a no-brainer . . . the new covenant through Christ is far better!

Now What?

Read Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and then Hebrews 10:1-18, which expounds on it.

Did You Know?

Ezekiel prophesied something similar to Jeremiah in Ezekiel 36:26.