Until it is fulfilled in the kingdom

Luke 22:14-34 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶ for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; ¹⁸ for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. ²¹ But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. ²² For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” ²³ And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

²⁴ And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. ²⁵ And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ ²⁶ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. ²⁷ For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

²⁸ “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; ²⁹ and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; ³² but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” ³³ But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” ³⁴ And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

In today’s text Jesus says:  “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”   The fulfillment though was very near. The Passover was a celebration of the remembrance of when God spared the Jewish people from the plague of death against the Egyptians. Each household sacrificed a lamb and marked their doorway with its blood so that the angel of death would pass over their house. Jesus Himself is the Passover Lamb. He is the one who was sacrificed for our sin so that death, sin’s curse would no longer affect us.   Jesus said:  “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”    God had determined to send Jesus to be the sacrifice on our behalf, even before we were born, even before He was born. When Adam and Eve sinned, in the garden, God said to the devil:    “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”    Even then God already planned for our redemption, our reconciliation and our restoration. Jesus was/is the Passover Lamb. Revelation 13:8 says Jesus is:   the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.      Like the doorways of the Jews in Egypt, we ourselves are marked with the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

The text says:  And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”   Under the old covenant, the people were required to make regular sacrifices to atone for their sin. Jesus established a new covenant that night. A covenant is like a contract, a binding agreement between parties. Jesus Himself not only established the new covenant, He signed it with His blood. Very often in order for a contract, a legal agreement to become valid and binding it must be witnessed and sealed by someone with authority. The covenant which Jesus established was sealed by the highest authority. When Jesus offered His life, on the cross as payment in full for our sin, He did all that was needed to uphold the new covenant. On the cross Jesus said:  “It is Finished!” (John 19:30) There was nothing more He or we could do to add to the finished work of the cross. God the Father, sealed and validated the finished work of the cross. Three days later when He called forth His beloved Son from the grave, it was His seal on the covenant established through the cross and the blood of Christ. If Jesus had remained in the grave, He would not be all that different than many other spiritual leaders and teachers who have come and died, both before and after Him. He alone has conquered sin and death, because He alone has risen from the grave. We can have confidence in all that He said because of all that He did.    

Jesus says:   “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you  that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom.”   After the resurrection, Jesus spoke to His disciples and said:  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18)   Jesus kingdom includes both heaven and earth. Through the blood of the new covenant we are given more than eternal life in heaven. God’s plan from the beginning was that man was created in His image and likeness, to rule and have dominion here on earth. (Genesis 1:27-28) Because of the new covenant we have in Christ, through the cross, marked by His blood and sealed by God the Father, through the resurrection, we have been redeemed from sin. We have been reconciled to God and we have been restored to all that He intended from the beginning. Because of the new covenant and the authority of Jesus, in heaven and earth, He says:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”   Jesus says:  “The one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”    How can we not serve the one who served us, giving His very life to fulfill God’s plan?

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for the new covenant, the fulfillment of Your plan from the foundation of the world. Thank You that because Jesus lives, I have confidence that all that He said is true. I know that He has all authority, in heaven and on earth and I will serve You Jesus, as You served me.  Amen.