8. On Jesus’ New Covenant Passover and His Love
Jesus’ New Covenant Passover (Matt26:17-28; Luke22:7-20), the Lord’s Supper is meant to take part in the flesh and blood of Christ. It is the ceremony in which we become members of Christ in faith. The confession of faith, “I am a member and the Lord is my head,” is confirmed by the ceremony of Jesus’ new Passover.
Many Christian leaders criticize our church’s teaching that the new covenant Passover ritual must be observed each year on the exact date (14 January evening). They criticize our church for bringing Jesus’ crucifixion back to Old Testament legalism.
But that’s not true. Our church is to keep the new covenant Passover that Jesus gave. The new covenant Passover ceremony is like a wedding ceremony that accepts Christ as the bridegroom. Our church follows Christ’s teachings as they are, without adding or subtracting.
【Hosea 2:16-20】 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’ ,,, I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.
【Jer 31:31-32】 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, ” declares the LORD.
【Luk 22:14-20】 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer……And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
【1Cor 10:16-17】 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf
In the Old Testament, God and the people of Israel were described in the relationship of husband and wife. Even in New Testament, the relationship between Jesus and the saints is explained in the same way. Through Jesus’ new covenant Passover, Christ and the saints enter into a relationship between the bridegroom and the bride.
The difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament is the subject of the Word. In the Old Testament, the concept of God’s people was limited to the Jews, but in the New Testament it was for all nations, the whole of mankind. It is to make all mankind the object of mission and to love as one member with Christ. The teaching of the new covenant of Jesus Christ is an unconditional program of love that loves mankind without discrimination.
