April 13, 2006 Matthew 26:26-30
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The writer to the Ecclesiasties mentions that there is a time for everything. As we have examined the Troubling Times of the Passion over the past month - we’ve seen times of sorrow, sleep, betrayal and death. Today’s text takes us back in time - back to the night Jesus was betrayed and the institution of the Lord’s Supper - as we look at a time of eating and drinking. Sometimes people eat and drink - not just because they are hungry - but because they are depressed. I knew a kid who - whenever something bad happened - he would decide to try and drown his sorrow with as much beer as he could drink. There are some women who purposely binge eat to have a temporary moment of “gladness” with their taste buds - to try and relieve the sorrow they feel over their bodies. People eat for different reasons - and they’re not always good. When Daniel’s king was feasting near the arrival of a foreign army at the gates of their kingdom, it was foolish ignorance. Instead of eating, they should have at least been preparing for battle.
As the disciples were celebrating the Passover, Jesus instituted a new kind of eating in the Lord’s Supper - for a good reason. Even though the presence of His enemies was getting ever closer, the celebration of this meal was neither foolish nor ignorant. Psalm 23 says, “you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” The Passover was to point them back to God’s deliverance from Egypt - and their future deliverance from sin. The Lord’s Supper would have similar spiritual significance - with two different time periods in mind - the near and distant future. We’ll look at that tonight, as we examine how in these Troubling Times of the Passion -
The Lord’s Supper Points Us Forward to That Day
Usually we are taught that the Lord’s Supper points us back to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross - and this is rightly so. The words and purpose of the Lord’s Supper seem obvious. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. At the Passover God made a covenant of sorts with the Israelites. He said, “if you slaughter this lamb and put it’s lamb over your doorpost - the angel of death will pass over your household.” God made good on His promise as the angel of death passed over all of those who had the blood of the lamb over their door posts. In this new covenant - Jesus was declaring to the disciples the covenant He had made with His Father - that He - God’s son - would sacrificially offer Himself - pour out His blood - to die for the sins of the world. As the disciples ate this new Supper of Jesus body and blood which would be concealed under the bread and wine - they would forever be reminded of the new covenant that Jesus had made. There was no blood that they would need to shed - no punishments that they would need to receive. The wrath of God would pass over their doors of faith when it came to their judgment. All would be done by Jesus. This was God’s covenant with Himself - and promised to the believers. When they ate and drank Jesus’ body and blood - it would simply remind them of the sacrifice made to spare them of the hell they deserved.
This is the main focus of the Lord’s Supper - to point back to the sacrifice of Christ made 2,000 years ago. As you eat and drink the Lord’s Supper - God wants your mind to go back to that night - and take comfort in the fact that God cannot go back on His covenant with Himself. He cannot condemn you who have the blood on your hearts through faith - because He is bound to His promise. If you don’t take the Lord’s Supper with this promise of forgiveness in the past sacrifice of Christ firmly before your eyes of faith - you will only take it to your damnation. But when you take it in faith that Jesus really did shed His body and blood for you, it will strengthen you as you know Jesus died for you. The main focus of the Lord’s Supper is to point back to this sacrifice.
Yet the idea behind the covenant involves a promise for the future as well. Usually covenants were made at the death of someone or something. Usually they were regarded as the last will and testament of a dying person - leaving something behind for someone else to enjoy in the immediate future - like when you inherit a house to live in for the rest of your life from a parent or grandparent. The gift is already present - and it can be enjoyed almost immediately - sometimes even before the death of the dying one. This is what the Lord’s Supper is like. Jesus was about to die for their sins - willing to them the love and forgiveness of God Himself. This was a gift the disciples could have as they tasted the Lord’s Supper that very night. It was also a gift they could enjoy every night they celebrated it from there on in. The promise was not just a momentary or temporary forgiveness - but an eternal forgiveness based on an eternally good sacrifice. That’s why we still celebrate it today.
Tonight, as we examine these Troubling Times of the Passion, I want to take this text one step further - beyond the time period of the past and the constant present - and look to the distant future. It’s the last part of this verse that we don’t often think about - which points us to the future. Jesus said, “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Jesus points forward to “that day.” It is obvious as He connects this day with His Father’s kingdom that He is referring to the future day of judgment. Jesus had made mention of this day in the Father’s kingdom at other times in His ministry with the disciples. One example is in Matthew 13 -
As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Another example is found in Luke 22 -
I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Notice how Jesus wanted His disciples thinking about the glory of this future kingdom of His Father. He even promised them they would not only eat and drink at Jesus’ table - but also sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel! So Jesus here also - as a future promise attached at the end of his institution of the Lord’s Supper - wanted the disciples to be reminded about a future meal they would eat with Jesus - in HEAVEN. He wanted the eating and drinking of His body and blood to help them look forward to Judgment Day - where they would enjoy an eternal Day in heaven.
What a different meal this is - with eternity in mind. Here we have in this Lord’s Supper an appetizer of heaven! The forgiveness you feel - the love you are shown as your eyes of faith are connected to the cross - all of these are just a glimpse of what you will have in heaven. Unlike the binge drinker who wakes up to the hangover or the binge eater who goes to bed with a bloated and guilty feeling - the Lord’s Supper opens up heaven itself and exposes to us the pure mercy and forgiveness of God in Christ. It is meant to promise us an eternity of riches with God.
The promises that Jesus connects to this verse are even more specific than this. Did you catch what Jesus said He would do in the kingdom of the Father? He said, “I will drink it with you anew.” Do you see the almost hidden promise that should have been so obvious to us? Jesus promised that He would drink the fruit of the vine with the disciples again in His Father’s kingdom. They only way Jesus could do this was if He had a body and a mouth to drink it with. Therefore, this has to be a reference to His resurrection from the dead - the fact that He would not only live - but that He would live and DRINK WITH THEM in heaven. The same body that they were about to see nailed to the tree, would be standing before them again. The same mouth that they were to hear cry out, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me” would be eating with them in the Kingdom. The same eyes that they would see close for seemingly the last time - would be looking them in the eyes.
This text has caused some people problems because it is at the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Some wonder if Jesus actually partook of His own body and blood at this time. Why would He if He didn’t need forgiveness? Notice that Jesus said “he won’t drink of it from NOW ON UNTIL I drink it with you anew.” That seems to clearly imply that Jesus didn’t have it then, and wouldn’t until the kingdom of the Father. What about in heaven? We won’t need forgiveness in heaven and neither will Jesus. There are two things. One, Jesus seems to be only referring to drinking of the fruit of the vine in this reference. Secondly, Jesus says that His drinking will be “anew.” This comes from the Greek word “kainos.” Also used in -
Revelation 21:1-2 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
In both of these references kainos describes a heaven and earth that is beyond comparison - a completely new existence. That’s what kainos means - not new in time but new in NATURE - with an implication of something that is better. Therefore, the drinking of the fruit of the vine in heaven will also be completely different from what He is describing here. The only similarity will be that it will still be the fruit of the vine and that it will be drunk and that He will still be present at the drinking of it. The difference seems to be that then Jesus will actually drinking it with them.
Imagine how much better it will be for us to actually eat and drink face to face with Jesus in heaven. As we eat and drink the Lord’s Supper now, we do it in the midst of darkness. Our sinful flesh fills us with sorrow and depression and sin. We live among demons and the pressures of a world that wants nothing more than to take us to hell. In the midst of this, we take the Lord’s Supper. It conveys the body and blood of Jesus to us - and carries along with it the forgiveness which Jesus won. We only are able to experience the presence of Jesus in a subdued way - through the eyes of faith. Don’t get me wrong, the Supper still makes us happy as we partake of the Hidden Christ. But in heaven, No longer will He need to hide underneath the bread and wine. No longer will He have to keep behind the clouds of heaven or the waters of baptism. No longer will He need to convey to us His body and blood for forgiveness - for we will be completely holy. Now, in this future drinking, the fruit of the vine will be that of a pure celebration and joy - with no tinge of guilt or forgiveness. No longer will we be afraid of God - or His enemies. Our enemies will be in hell, and we will be standing before Jesus as completely holy.
There’s a polka song that goes, “in heaven there is no beer. That’s why we drink it here.” That’s the only part of the song I know. From what I know of it - the song makes it sound like there won’t be much fun in heaven. Therefore, you’d better live it up and enjoy the suds now! That’s what they say, but that’s not the picture I get of heaven at all. Instead, Jesus says, “in heaven there is the fruit of the vine, and that’s why I want you to drink it here.” Eating and drinking from the fruit of the vine in the presence of Jesus sounds pretty good to me.
As I described this future time on “that day” with Jesus - how does it make you feel? Does it make you say, “oh, I can’t wait until that day?” (It should.) Does it make you wonder what the fruit will taste like or where it will come from? (If it does, then you’re thinking too much.) Does it make you think to yourself, “I wonder if I’ll make it there?” Does it make you afraid that you won’t know how to act at such a rich banquet? I don’t know how you feel about it. But from context of this promise, I know that God doesn’t want you to fear that day - not at all. He wants you to look forward to it.
If you’re afraid of “that day” or if you’re not sure about it - look at the big picture. Look at the Passover. As the Israelites ate the Passover, they were reminded of how God PROVIDED and DELIVERED them from the evil Egyptians, and how the future Lamb would deliver them from even greater evil - sin, death and Satan. The Passover was meant to strengthen their faith as they looked forward to the final deliverance. As you live in between the sacrifice of Christ and the coming of “that day” - let the Lord’s Supper do something similar to you. Let it be the ship that carries you from this world to the next. Remember as you take it - that Jesus died for you - shed His body and blood for you. Remember as you eat and drink this body and blood - that it covers you on the outside and in. This is God’s covenant with you - His promise to you - through faith. There’s no reason you should fear that day. You are on the ship to heaven - and there’s no reason to jump off on your way to the Promised Land.
Once there was a man who lived on a pretty good sized lake. During the winter, a huge snow storm passed through and had shut down all the roads. The only way he could get any supplies was if he ventured straight across the lake to a country store a few miles down the road. The only problem was that he wasn’t sure the waters were frozen. So he slowly inched his way across - step by step. Underneath he was sure he could hear cracking and breaking and he was very tempted to turn around and run back for home. The only problem was that he didn’t have any food - so he had to plow forward on his terrifying journey. As he had been walking for about 45 minutes - on a trip of terror - he suddenly noticed an object from behind him - closing in on him like a tornado. Before he knew it, a pack of four horses and a sled came traveling by him at break neck speed, with the driver whistling and waving! The driver stopped and said, “want a ride?” He thought to himself, “what was I so worried about!”, and jumped on the sled for a quick journey to the other side. Both men made it - only one was scared to death for half of it, while the other had no worries at all.
As we live in this world - we are always living in troubling times. With our own sins and the sins of the world - it’s easy to wonder if we’re going to make it to heaven. If you are fearing whether you are going to get to the other side - consider the Lord’s Supper to be your covenant from God that you will make it to the other side - to heaven. Consider it to be your unsinkable ship. Take the Lord’s Supper again and again and again - stay on the sled - and be reassured that “it is finished.” Believe that the payment has been made. If you are sorry for your sins and have faith in Jesus - God will never let you fall through to heaven - just eat and drink this sacrament in faith. The body and blood of Christ - which He promises was shed for you - is a promise from the past for the troubling times of the present that lasts into the future - until “that day” when He comes again and we have a whole new experience eating and drinking with Christ in the kingdom of the Father. Amen.
