Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29 * March 24, 2005 * Maundy Thursday * Pastor Pagels

In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:

What do we see? What do we see as we look through the window into the upper room on Maundy Thursday? Off in the corner sits a water basin and towel that had just been used to wash twelve pairs of well traveled feet.

In the middle of the large open area there is a table, and on that table we see what looks like the leftovers from a great feast: dirty dishes and cups and bowls, baskets containing nothing but a few crumbs of unleavened bread, plates that are empty except for the skin and bones of roasted lamb.

Positioned around the table are couches, and reclining on the couches are about a dozen men. They appear to be satisfied, but a closer look reveals a hint of concern. One place is empty, the place that had been occupied by the man who looked quite agitated, the same man who gave the impression that he couldn’t wait for this meal to be over.

As we look around the room to see where this man might have gone, the others stop what they are doing and turn their heads. We lean in closer to see what they see, and the host of the banquet comes into view. There is no need to ask who this man is because we have seen him many times before. Seated at the head of the table, commanding the attention of everyone around him, we see Jesus.

“We See Jesus” should be familiar to us by now. It has served as the theme of our midweek Lenten devotions this year. And we have seen Jesus in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament law, in the tabernacle, in various types of sacrifices, in the service of the priests, even in the garments the priests wore.

But tonight is different. Tonight we see Jesus with our own eyes. Tonight we see Jesus face to face. Tonight we see Jesus in the flesh. Perhaps the theme for this sermon should be “We See Jesus…At the Passover” or “In Jerusalem” or “In the Upper Room.”

Jesus was in Jerusalem on Maundy Thursday. Jesus had traveled there to celebrate the Passover. But the upper room is much more to us than a banquet hall. The upper room is much more than a physical space. It is the place where everything changes. It is the place the old and the new collide. It is the place where…

WE SEE JESUS AT A CRUCIAL CROSSROADS

I. As he honors the old covenant

II. As he establishes a new covenant

Newer is better. Isn’t that what we are supposed to believe? Isn’t that what we are being told on a daily basis? If you’ve driven your car for three years or 36,000 miles, you need a new one. If your computer isn’t compatible with the latest software, you need a new one. If your face is starting to show a few wrinkles around the edges, you need a new (or at least improved) one.

If Jesus were on earth today, I wonder what he would make of all this. Would he buy into this way of thinking? Would he agree with the idea that newer is better? Not necessarily. In fact, there were a number of occasions in his life when Jesus embraced the traditional, or to put it bluntly, the old.

When he was twelve years old, Jesus made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem like Jewish boys had been doing for centuries. As an adult, it was Jesus’ custom to attend services held in the synagogue every Sabbath.

And when the disciples came to Jesus during the day on Maundy Thursday and asked him where to make preparations for the Passover, Jesus didn’t say: “We have more important things to do.” He didn’t say: “It isn’t worth the hassle or the expense.” And he didn’t say: “There was a time when this Feast served a good purpose for our people, but that day has long since past.” Instead Jesus gave his disciples detailed instructions, and in so doing he honored the old covenant.

What exactly is the old covenant? Where did it begin? When was the old covenant new? For the answer, we have to go back to the book of Exodus. It was after the ten plagues, after the Lord led his people out of Egypt, after the parting of the Red Sea.

After all these events took place, the Lord came to Moses at Mt. Sinai and said: “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach the Lord” (Exodus 24:1,2a).

Early the next morning Moses set up an altar at the foot of the mountain and offered sacrifices there. Picking up the account again, we are told that “Moses took half the blood and poured it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, ‘We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey’” (Exodus 24:6,7).

And now we come to the key verse, Exodus 24:8: “Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’”

The old covenant was like a two-sided contract. The two parties involved were God and his people. God promised to lead. The people promised to follow. God promised to protect. The people promised to obey.

Unfortunately, it was only a matter of days before this covenant was broken. Even though it had been sealed with blood, even though the people had given their word, they traded in the true God for a golden calf. And this incident was not a one-time event either. The history of Israel is the story of a faithless people and a faithful God.

Without getting into all of the dirty details, the faults and failings of Israel made one thing perfectly clear. The old covenant was not perfect. The old covenant could never be permanent. The old covenant would need to be replaced. But at the same time, it did serve a good purpose.

When the people ate the Passover meal, they were reminded that it was the Lord who rescued them from bondage in Egypt. When the people witnessed the bloody animal sacrifices offered up on the altar, they received a visual reminder that sin is serious business. When the people compared their lives with the commands and demands of God’s holy law, they were reminded that they were not keeping up their end of the deal.

Even though we don’t observe the Passover anymore, even though we don’t sacrifice lambs or goats or bulls on our altar, even though very few of us have ever made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the old covenant is still worthy of our respect.

The old covenant exposes our sin. The old covenant reminds us that when it comes to our personal relationship with God, we haven’t kept up our end of the deal. The old covenant makes it clear that we are guilty, that we deserve punishment, that we need someone to save us. The good news is that someone has.

Standing there in the upper room on Maundy Thursday we see Jesus. We see Jesus eating with his disciples. We see praying for his disciples. We see Jesus at a crucial crossroads in salvation history as he establishes a new covenant.

“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’” (Matthew 26:26-28).

Luke, not Matthew, is the one who tells us that this covenant was “new” (Luke 22:20). How new was it? It was so new that it hadn’t even been sealed yet. It would be at least a few hours before Jesus surrendered to his captors. And it wouldn’t be until the next day when Jesus poured out his lifeblood on the cross.

But there’s more. In English we really have only one word for “new.” The Greek language offers at least two. One has to do primarily with age. You have a new baby. You buy a new car. The other Greek word describes something that is new in quality. That is the word used here, and here is the significance. Jesus’ covenant is not only a brand new covenant. Jesus’ covenant is a better covenant.

What makes the new covenant superior to the old? The old covenant was two-sided. The new covenant is one-sided. The old covenant was sealed with the blood of animals. The new covenant is sealed with the blood of Jesus. The old covenant was almost immediately broken. The new covenant will never be broken. The old covenant was law based. The new covenant is pure gospel.

In order to understand Jesus’ words, in order to understand God’ plan, I want you to compare the new covenant with a business contract. How long would you stay in business if you never received any payment for your services, if you gave and gave and gave and expected nothing in return? It doesn’t take an economics major to figure out that a legitimate business can’t operate this way.

But that is the sum and substance of God’s plan. He says: “Okay, you can’t pay your debts. You can’t meet any of your obligations. This is what I will do. I will send my son to help you. In fact, he will do everything for you. It won’t be easy. He will have to suffer. He will even have to die to complete this transaction. And there is one more thing you should know. There will be no charge.”

There is no better deal than that. There is no better covenant than that. Instead of damnation, we receive salvation. Instead of certain death, we receive eternal life. Instead of pain and punishment, we receive peace and forgiveness. And this forgiveness comes to us in a special way when we receive Jesus’ true body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.

This hasn’t been a sermon about communion, but it wouldn’t be a Maundy Thursday sermon without at least mentioning the blessings of Holy Communion. Two thousand years ago Jesus instituted this sacrament saying: “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). And as his followers we still “do this.” We continue to celebrate this holy meal to remember everything he has done for us.

The apostle Paul declared that “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (I Corinthians 11:26). And two thousand years later we stand side by side at the communion rail and confess our common faith in the Savior who lived and died and lives again.

On Maundy Thursday our Lord took the cup in his hands and said to his disciples: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). And every time we eat and drink God’s gracious covenant of forgiveness is renewed.

Tomorrow we will see Jesus in a very different light. We will see shackles on his hands. We will see a purple robe draped across his back. We will see a thorny crown pressed down on his head. We will see a heavy cross weighing on his shoulders. We will see his lifeless body laid in the tomb.

But tonight we see Jesus with a look of divine confidence. We see Jesus with his hands folded in prayer. We see Jesus breaking bread. We see Jesus lifting the cup. In the upper room we see Jesus at a crucial crossroads in salvation history. We see Jesus as he honors the old covenant with his disciples. We see Jesus as he establishes a new covenant for his disciples.

Come, for all things are now ready. Amen.