What Matthew 26:28 really means: Blood of the Covenant

The Last Supper and the New Covenant

This moment takes place during the Last Supper, a Passover meal Jesus shares with his disciples just hours before his arrest.

The Passover was an annual Jewish feast remembering how God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt - when the blood of a lamb marked homes so death would 'pass over' them. In that context, Jesus takes the cup and calls it 'my blood of the covenant,' directly linking his life to a new promise from God. Where the old covenant was sealed with animal blood, this new one would be sealed with his own.

His words echo Jeremiah 31:31, where God promised, 'I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,' not written on stone but on human hearts - now fulfilled through Jesus' sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.

The Meaning of 'Blood of the Covenant' and Jesus' New Promise

Building on the Passover setting, Jesus now redefines the very heart of Israel’s relationship with God by declaring his blood the foundation of a new covenant.

In Exodus 24:8, Moses sealed the old covenant by throwing blood on the people, saying, 'Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.' Jesus echoes those words but shifts the source - from a sacrificed animal to his own body. His blood is the real means of a new agreement between God and humanity. It is not merely a symbol. Where the old covenant required repeated sacrifices, Jesus’ blood is poured out once, fully, as a vicarious death - taking the punishment others deserved. This act fulfills what animal sacrifices could only point to: true cleansing from sin.

When Jesus says 'for many,' he draws from Isaiah 53:11-12, where the suffering servant 'will bear the sins of many, and make intercession for the transgressors.' In that passage, the servant gives his life as a guilt offering for all who would receive it, not only for Israel. 'For many' doesn’t mean 'for a few' - it emphasizes the vast scope of redemption, open to all who respond, Jew and Gentile alike. This was radical: salvation wasn’t earned by law or lineage but received through faith in his sacrifice.

The phrase 'forgiveness of sins' ties directly to the purpose of his death - removing guilt and restoring relationship. In Jewish thought, forgiveness required atonement, but Jesus declares that his death accomplishes what rituals could not. His blood removes sin. It does not merely cover it.

Jesus wasn’t just sharing wine; he was offering his life as the final sacrifice that would make forgiveness possible for everyone who trusts in him.

This moment transforms the Passover from a remembrance of physical rescue to a celebration of spiritual redemption, setting the stage for the cross where this promise would be fulfilled.

What This Means for Us: Forgiveness Through Jesus' Sacrifice

Because of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, we can now understand his death not as a tragic end but as the moment God’s promise of forgiveness was finally and fully secured.

His blood, poured out for many, means we don’t have to earn our way back to God through rules or rituals - as the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:34 says, 'I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.' This is the heart of the good news: through faith in Jesus, anyone can be forgiven and brought into a personal relationship with God.

This truth transforms how we live - not out of fear or duty, but out of gratitude for the grace we’ve already received.

Jesus Fulfills the New Covenant: A Promise Made and Kept

This moment with the cup isn’t unique to Matthew - Mark 14:24 records Jesus saying, 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,' and Luke 22:20 adds, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,' directly linking Jesus’ sacrifice to the promise God made through Jeremiah.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God promised, 'I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah... I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.' Unlike the old covenant, which depended on people keeping the law, this new one would be based on God’s grace and internal transformation. Jesus, by calling the cup 'my blood of the covenant,' declares that his death is the fulfillment of that promise - his life the price that makes forgiveness and a new relationship with God possible for all who believe.

Jesus’ words at the Last Supper weren’t just symbolic - they were the moment God’s ancient promise to write a new covenant on human hearts was being fulfilled.

This understanding deepens our appreciation of communion. It is a reminder that we are living under a new and better covenant, sealed by the blood of Christ, not by animal sacrifices, and it is not merely a ritual.

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