Take This Cup

On the eve of Moshiach’s crucifixion, Yahshua gathered His talmidim

around him and said these words in Luke 22:20:

            Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

            If we want to know what this really means, we must return to the declaration of Moshe in Shemot (Exodus) 24.  Here, we find a fascinating and colorful explanation of Yahshua’s terminology arrayed in beautiful imagery, founded on Torah.

            In Messiah Yahshua’s renewed covenant terminology, there are 2 interconnected ideas being presented.

            1) This is the ‘new’ covenant.

            2) This is the cup that is being ‘poured out’ or more accurately, according to the Greek, distributed largely. (ekchuno- strong’s 1632- gush or spew out)

            To understand Yahshua’s intent, we need to turn to Shemot 24:3:

            And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

            Through COMMUNITY agreement, all the people of Israel agreed with one voice to do the word’s of YHWH’s laws.  They didn’t say “We’ll think about it” or “We’ll consider our options.”  TOGETHER they said, “All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.”

            Next, Moshe wrote down all the words of YHWH.  Then we learn that he built an altar at the mountain with 12 pillars for all the tribes of Israel (24:4).  After completing this task, Moshe sent some Israelites out to offer burnt offerings and shalom offerings to YHWH (24:5).  In verse 6 we learn what Moshe did with the blood from the offerings in verse 5:

            And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

            And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

            Now, let’s examine these passages in a Hebraic context.

Blood in the basins

            And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; Shemot 24:6a

Here we learn that Moshe took half of the blood from the burnt offerings and the shalom offerings, and put it into basins.  We’ll come back to these basins shortly.

Blood on the Altar

            and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.  Shemot 24:6b

            Here, we learn that Moshe took the other half of the blood and sprinkled it on the alter he built in verse 4.  Shemot 26:30 tells us this:

            And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the mount.

            It is commonly taught that there is a divine in heaven (Shemayim).  This was to serve as the original pattern for the tabernacle (and also later, for Solomon’s temple in Yahrushalayim).  As a result, Moshe received detailed instructions from YHWH on how to build the tabernacle, and all of the elements contained within it, including the altar.

            When Moshe took the blood of these sacrifices and poured out half  on the altar he built below Mt. Sinai (a copy of the heavenly temple), he was establishing a a legal and binding contract with YHWH on behalf of the 12 tribes of Israel.  On the earthly altar, he was sealing in blood Israel’s vow that they would honoe the divine covenant, based on their own promise in 24:3.  Later Yahshua models Moshe; but instead of pouring out blood on an earthly altar, He does so on the heavenly altar, and I’ll show you that in a minute).

Recounting the Book of the Covenant

            in Shemot 24:7, after Moshe poured out the blood of the offerings on the altar, the following occurred:

            ...he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people:

Yet again, they responded with 1 kol (voice), and said, “All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.”

            So again, without hesitation, the Israelite community made a solid decision, in substance, agreeing to the following:

            “We promise to live by these words of YHWH and to be obedient, and to do everything we have been commanded to do.”

            Now, we need to return to Shemot 24:7 and the phrase “Book of the Covenant”.  The “Book of the Covenant” or Sefer HaBrit (whrCv rpx), was and still is very significant phrase because it refers to the whole body of judgements, testimonies, and decrees, that descended with Moshe at Mt. Sinai.  Let‘s look at Luke 22:20

            “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new (renewed)  testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

            Here, Yahshua took the term ‘Habrit’  and added the word ‘renewed’ from Yirmeyahu 31:31, saying that He was making a renewed covenant between Israel and YHWH.  The word for ‘new’ in this verse is the greek word “Kainos- strong’s 2537 - freshness”  which means something fresh in quality and unworn (Not worn)- renewed.  Now we are beginning to see the imagery that Yahshua was painting in His words.

A Covenant inscribed in Blood

            One of Yahshua’s most powerful expressions of the mosaic contract was in His words, “This cup which is poured out for you is the renewed covenant in My blood.”

            No doubt, Yahshua was drawing a parallel to shemot 24:5-6. 

            Remember what Moshe did with half of the blood from His offerings?

            “And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins;” (6a)

            What did he do with the other half of it?

            “and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.” (6b)

            In 24:7, we learn that Moshe did the following:

                        “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that YHWH hath said will we do, and be obedient.”

            Then in 24:8, we learn that he--

                        “...took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which YHWH hath made with you in accordance with all these words.”

            So, about 1500 years later in Yahrushalayim, Yahshua taught His talmidim that He was reestablishing the mosaic Torah for them and for the generations that were to follow in their footsteps.  Consequently, Yahshua modeled moshe by pouring out His blood, not on an earthly altar, but rather on the genuine heavenly altar.  Also, Yahshua “sprinkled” His “blood” on His talmidim (representing renewed Israel), reestablishing or renenwing the mosaic covenant; only this time, it was His blood, not that of bulls and goats in shemot 24:5.

            Since Torah forbids the ingesting of actual blood, Yahshua took wine, and symbolically attached it to His sacrifice and said these words to His talmidim in Mattityahu 26:27:

            “Drink from it, all of you...”

            As Yahshua’s talmidim drank the cup of wine symbolizing the blood of His sacrifice, they were also in a sense permitting themselves to be “sprinkled” with the “blood” as all Israel had literally allowed moshe to do to them.  Put another way, Yahshua’s talmidim were entering into a contract with YHWH, just as their forefathers had done when moshe, acting a YHWH’s intermediary (with ‘power of attorney’), took the basins of the blood of the covenant, and sprinkled it on them in shemot 24:8.

            After Yahshua’s resurrection, He then took the blood of His sacrifice, entered into the temple in heaven, and poured it out on that altar-- reestablishing what moshe did on the earthly altar at Mt. Sinai.  On these truths, we are privileged to have insight into Yochanan 6:53:

            “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you“.

            This echoes the words of moshe in D’varim 32:47 concerning the words of Torah:

            “For it is not a vain (or idle) thing for you; because it is your life:”

            Paraphrasing, Yahshua was telling His talmidim, “you will have no life in yourselves unless you enter into this renewed covenant of Torah through the blood of the Covenant, and that blood will be mine.  As moshe came to bring Israel to YHWH, so I have come to bring you (representing renewed Israel) to HaAbba through this, My blood of the covenant.  By drinking this wine, and eating this bread, you obligate yourselves and all who accept your words to obey the renewed mosaic Torah.”

This concept is a stunning truth in light of  Messianics 10:28-29:

            “He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

            Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant (HaBrit), wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite (insulted) unto the Spirit of grace?

Covenant of Blood for the Forgiveness of Sins

            “...For this is my blood of the covenant, which is shed (poured out) for many for the remission of sins.”

            Here, in Mattityahu 26:28, what exactly did Yahshua mean when He said that His blood was poured out for many for the “forgiveness of sins” ?

The answer is found in the words of Yirmeyahu 3:8, Yeshayahu 50:1, Hoshea 2:7 and Yirmeyahu 31:31:

            “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce...” (Yirmeyahu 3:8)

            “Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.”  (Yeshayahu 50:1)

            “And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.”  (Hoshea 2:7)

            “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a (re)new(ed) covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

             Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:” (Yirmeyahu 31:31-32)

            Again, when the Torah covenant was given to Israel at Mt. Sinai, it was like a bridegroom marrying his bride.  Under that mountain chuppah or canopy, Israel said to YHWH in the form of a vow, “I do”.  She had promised fidelity to her husband and faithfulness to the marriage bond.  But, after centuries of willful rebellion against YHWH and His tov mitzvot, Isreal’s sins of unfaithfulness kept mounting higher and higher, yet YHWH kept forgiving and forgiving.

            Finally, after generations of continued high-handed rebellion, YHWH was left with no other choice:  He sent His bride away under the terms of Torah Law in D’varim 24:1.  YHWH issued Israel a certificate of divorce, a get or sefer keritut.  But this was only meant as a measure to bring about Israel’s repentance and cause her to see the loss of her relationship with the Almighty, as is evidenced by the words of Hoshea 2:7:

            “Then she will say, “I will go back to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now”

            When Yahshua HaMashiach came as YHWH’s Sheliach (Sent One of the Lord), His mission was to restore Israel back to YHWH and the Torah, abolish the get, and reestablish the original marriage contract (ketubah) of Sinai.  Through His blood, He purchased Israel back from the pagan life to which she had sold herself:

            Through Messiah, the sins of Israel’s forefathers were erased, and instead, YHWH issued an invitation to return to Him with a ‘clean slate’.  Again, why was this necessary?  Because, Israel breached YHWH’s marriage contract when instead, she promised she would be obedient.

            Thanks to the work of the faithful Messiah, Israel was repurchased, the written divorce decree was nullified, the original marriage contract was resolved, and the broken promises of Israel’s previous generations were wiped out.  This explains Colossians 2:14:

            “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (certificate of debt) that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

            The certificate of debt (an I.O.U) was stipulated in Israel’s ketubah and expressed through her written divorce decree.  The Jewish people could not possibly pay YHWH back for all that He had done since the days of Avraham.  Have you ever gone so deep into debt that you didn’t have enough assets to cover your obligations?  Even so, nothing could compare to what Israel owed YHWH.  She could never find enough of anything to pay YHWH back and return to Him the numerous things He gave her, not to mention His continued faithfulness and mercy, generation to generation.  So, YHWH forgave the debt, canceled the divorce decree, issued a renewed ketubah, and proclaimed a year of Jubilee!  Perhaps His words can be best put this way:

            You have been forgiven your numerous sins of marital infidelity and violations of Torah when your forefathers promised to keep My covenant at Mt. Sinai, a contract they made for themselves and all future generations of Israelites.  However, if you wish to enter into a renewed marriage contract with Me and wish again to enter into the previous promise made by your ancestors at Mt. Sinai, I will accept your words through my mediator Yahshua, chosen for such a time as this.  Through my Yahshua you will find forgiveness and rest because by His faithfulness, your previous debt to me has been paid in full.  Today, I am offering you a fresh start.

The choice is yours.