The New Covenant in Christ (Mark 14:12–31)

Pastor Jason Soto
The Gospel of Mark  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  42:31
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Introduction
Attention
God’s promises are incredible! They are amazing. We are blessed by the promises of God. We didn’t do anything to earn them. God’s promises are based on who he is, and his love for us.
God’s promises often come to us in Scripture through something called a covenant. I’ll talk more about this, but a covenant is kind of like a contract. We may not be familiar with a covenant, but we understand a contract.
For instance, you can get paid a lot of money if you are skillful with hitting a ball with a stick. Before the beginning of this season, Manny Machado, the Padres third baseman, signed a $350 million dollar contract with the Padres. He is set to be a San Diego Padres player until 40 years old, making and average base salary of close to $32 million dollars a year.
The good news for him is, with $32 million dollars a year, he makes just enough to get a 2-bedroom condo.
But there is a big difference between his contract and God’s covenant. His contract is millions of dollars and has an end. God’s covenant is eternal and priceless. His contract requires him to perform. God’s covenant doesn’t require us to perform. God has already done the work for us by sending his Son to the cross.
The covenant we have in Christ is invaluable. What is the new covenant in Christ, and how should it affect our lives? We’ll take a look at that in Mark 14:12-31. It is your pew Bible on page 902. We are almost to the end of Mark as we pick up in Mark 14:12.
Scripture Reading
Mark 14:12–31 CSB
12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it?” 13 So he sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 So the disciples went out, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 17 When evening came, he arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread in the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.” 22 As they were eating, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, because it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29 Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.” 30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing.
Pray
The text in Mark 14:12-31 is rich in Judaism. There is a lot of meaning that a first-century Jew would understand here, but takes some explaining for us.
We are looking at what’s commonly referred to as the Last Supper. The setting for this meal is in an upper room. In first-century Israel, the upper room of a home was often used for private gatherings and meals. This is a significant meal for Jesus and his disciples.
Passover
As we get close to the cross, we are at Passover. Later on in this text, Jesus will use bread and wine, two elements of the Passover meal. The Passover meal would have unleavened bread, which was a type of bread without yeast. The wine was part of the celebration of this meal.
Passover refers to the tenth plague brought on by God against the Egyptians. God would use this tenth plague to have Pharoah drive the Israelites out of Egypt.
God sent a tenth plague against the Egyptians, and in this plague, the first born male of both people and animals would be killed. In this plague, God would show a distinction between Israel and Egypt.
In Exodus 12:5, the Israelites were to take an unblemished animal, a year-old, from either the sheep or the goats. They would take the blood of the lamb and put some of the blood on the doorposts and the lintel of the houses. The lintel was the beam over the door.
Regarding this judgment going over Egypt and the blood on the houses, take a look at Exodus 12:12-13:
Exodus 12:12–13 CSB
12 “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. 13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Because of the blood of the lamb, the Israelites did not receive the judgment coming on the rest of the people in Egypt. Now, if that doesn’t preach the gospel, I don’t know what does! God has redeemed believers in Jesus by his blood, as John the Baptist said of Jesus in John 1:29: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Sinners are redeemed in Christ because of the blood of Jesus, the blood of the Lamb of God.
First Day of Unleavened Bread
In Mark 14:12, this text begins “on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb.” This first day of Unleavened Bread is spoken of in Exodus 12:16, where they are told “to hold a sacred assembly on the first day,” and "no work may be done on those days except for preparing what people need to eat.” So on this day, they would sacrifice the lamb and begin preparing it for the meal.
The Foreknowledge of Christ
In this text, Jesus displays a divine attribute of God. He displays God’s foreknowledge. God knows the future. God has a passive awareness of the future choices of free people. People are responsible for their choices, and at the same time, God is not unaware. God is not caught by surprise. He knows the future.
So in verses 13 through 16, Jesus shows that he has already prepared the way for his disciples. He says, “I want you to go into the city, and this is what you will see. There will be a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him, and when he enters the house, ask him about a guest room where Jesus can eat a Passover meal with his disciples. He will show you a large room upstairs, fully furnished. Make the preparations there.”
Sometimes we wish we can get instructions like that. We wish the Lord would say, “When you wake up in the morning, brush your teeth, eat a bagel with cream cheese, and drive to work. When you get to work, say hi to John, Billy, and Sue. When you see John, give him a high-five. Later that day, you’ll get an email from your boss. Tell him you’ll get right on it, and remind him that you are leaving at 4 PM.” While we don’t get specific instructions like that, God does guide and lead us as we are sensitive to his Spirit within us.
The Lord Looked Forward to this Meal
But for the Lord, this particular Passover meal was precious. At this point in his life, the Lord Jesus is probably about 33 years old, and he had eaten many Passover meals in the past. But this one was special.
Jesus says this in Luke 22:15-16:
Luke 22:15–16 CSB
15 Then he said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
Why was this Passover meal special? Why did he desire to eat this particular Passover meal with his disciples? In this meal, he is getting close to the culmination of his life’s work, to the cross. He declares to his disciples the fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34, the declaration of the new covenant in his blood.
Describing a Biblical Covenant
Now, when I mentioned this text is very Jewish, that’s because, for one, you need to understand the Passover, which his disciples would understand, and two, you need to understand a biblical covenant. For a Jew, a covenant from God has tremendous meaning.
Our concept of a covenant from the Bible can be misleading because of how Christians before us decided to name the two large portions of Scripture. They called it “Old Testament” and “New Testament.” The word “testament” comes from a Latin word meaning covenant. So you might see things as, “This is the old covenant, and this is the new covenant.” But that is not how a Jew would understand a biblical covenant.
First, what is a covenant? I have to credit my seminary professor, Dr. James Fazio, from Southern California Seminary. I reached out to him because I remembered he had some great notes on this. So, what I received from him, I pass on to you.
Definition of a Covenant: A covenant is a compact or agreement between two parties which binds them to certain commitments from one to another or to each other. Theologically, in relations between God and man, it denotes God’s gracious commitment to bless man.
According to Dr. Fazio, there are three distinct aspects of a biblical covenant.
Three Aspects of Biblical Covenants
It must be called a covenant in Scripture.
It must continue on through succeeding generations.
It must be confirmed to future generations.
Dr. Fazio identifies seven biblical covenants:
Noahic Covenant (Gen 9:9)
Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 15:18)
Mosaic Covenant (Ex 24:7-8)
Phineas Covenant (Num 25:12)
Deuteronomic Covenant (Deut 29:1)
Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7; cf. Psalm 89)
New Covenant (Jer 31:31–34)
Out of these covenants, the Noahic Covenant is the first covenant in the Bible described as a covenant. This is a covenant God makes with Noah and his descendents that he would never again judge the earth through a global flood. He put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant.
The Abrahamic covenant refers to God’s covenant with Abraham that he would have numerous descendants who would be a nation, and that through his descendants, all nations would be blessed.
The Mosaic Covenant vs. the New Covenant
The Mosaic Covenant is the interesting one. Out of all of these covenants, it’s the one covenant that is conditional. The rest of the covenants were unconditional, meaning they didn’t require anything on the other party, but the Mosaic Covenant was conditional. What do I mean? It’s the one that says, “If you will follow my Law, then you will be blessed.”
I believe this Mosaic Covenant is the old covenant, the one for which God gives a new covenant. Where do I get that from? Take a look at Jeremiah 31:31-34:
Jeremiah 31:31–34 CSB
31 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—my covenant that they broke even though I am their master”—the Lord’s declaration. 33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.
This prophecy is the reason Jesus is desiring to eat this time with his disciples. The Mosaic Covenant exposed the righteousness of God’s law and the depravity of the hearts of mankind.
It is the new covenant, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that will break the stranglehold of sin on mankind. It is the new covenant that will bring redemption and restoration for God’s people. It is the new covenant in the blood of the Lamb that will make you and I free to know him and to love him.
The new covenant in Christ causes us to do a couple things.
First,

The new covenant in Christ causes us to examine ourselves.

Right in between the context of Mark 14:12-31 is betrayal and denial. There is betrayal on one hand in Judas, and denial on the other hand in Peter.
Now, if you had to choose between the two, betrayal or denial, you would choose denial over betrayal. Who would you rather be, Peter or Judas?
To be in denial is to deny something that you are. Peter is denying on the surface level what he is deep down, a follower of Christ. That’s not to excuse Peter. That’s just to say, I would rather be Peter than Judas.
Betrayal is to expose a lie that you are living. You say that you are something, but your actions show that, in fact, you are not.
We all start off in rebellion against God. We all start in a place that says, “God, I am resisting you. I am against you.” That’s what being a sinner is, being in rebellion against God’s holiness and perfection, against God.
But the story of Judas is a story of tragedy. Here was a man in the inner circle with the Son of God. He walked with Christ, spent time in the ministry of Christ, had his feet washed by Christ, but never had his heart changed by Christ. It’s tragic.
Verse 21 gives us a summary of the story of the life of Judas. This is the summary of his life:
Mark 14:21 CSB
21 For the Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”
That is a sad statement, “It would have been better for him if he had not been born.” You had the blessing of being created in the image of God. You had the blessing to have the opportunity to know Jesus. You had the opportunity to be a part of the new covenant in Christ, and yet, you betrayed him for some pieces of silver. That is the story of the life of Judas.
But does that cause you to examine your own life? You sit with the opportunity to know Christ. You sit with the opportunity to be a part of the new covenant in Christ. Let that be the truth of who you are.
See with Peter, he’s going to deny Jesus. He will be in sin. Yet, his life just cries out, “God, I need your grace! I’m weak. I’m frail. I fall when the going gets tough. God, I need you!”
John describes what happened to Judas in the upper room. The disciples are all sitting around trying to figure out who will be the one to deny Jesus. Peter asks John to ask Jesus. It says in John 13:26-27:
John 13:26–27 CSB
26 Jesus replied, “He’s the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it.” When he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son. 27 After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, “What you’re doing, do quickly.”
Judas had been walking with Jesus and yet followed the example of Satan. Just like Satan had been an angel in the presence of God and let pride cause him to fall into sin, Judas let greed and pride separate him from the Son of God.
An interesting thing about the new covenant in Christ, it is a distinguishing mark between death and life. Remember in the Passover, the judgement of death came over the whole land, but it passed over those whom were under the blood of the lamb?
The tragic story of Judas is that he was not a part of the blood of the Lamb. The judgment of death did not pass over him. He stood in the midst of the Son of God and did not partake in the blood of the Lamb. Tragic.
I was having a conversation earlier this week about the new generation growing up with this new technology, and what that must be like.
I have an awesome new nephew and niece. My sister had twins. They’re both about a year and a half old at this point. My sister had a video online with her and her son, my nephew. I think they were watching a movie.
But my little nephew was getting a kick out of watching himself in this selfie video on the phone. He would move his arms and smile as he watched this little boy, and I’m not sure that he knows its himself yet. Probably.
But this new generation is increasingly self-conscious about their appearance, as they have constant opportunities to stare at themselves on these devices.
Yet, the real challenge is not to judge what is on the outside, but to judge what is on the inside. We will often see the faults of others way before we see the faults of ourselves. Peter couldn’t yet see his faults, and certainly Judas tragically did not see his.
But the Lord holds a mirror up to our hearts and says, “You need my grace. Confess your sin before the Lord, and submit yourself to him.”
The new covenant in Christ causes us to examine ourselves.
Last,

The new covenant in Christ causes us to embrace forgiveness and remember his sacrifice for us.

As the Lord institutes a practice for the Christian church, what we describe as the Lord’s Supper or Communion, he gives us an incredible picture of the power of God’s love and his forgiveness.
He takes the unleavened bread, blesses it, breaks it, gives it to his disciples and says in Mark 14:22 “Take it; this is my body.” It was a body that was broken and crushed. Every time I eat the bread, I am reminded as my teeth crush the bread that he was crushed for me and for you.
Then he says this in Mark 14:24:
Mark 14:24 CSB
24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
His blood was poured out for many. His blood is forgiveness. Listen, he sits in a room of men that are about to deny him and run. He says in Mark 14:27:
Mark 14:27 CSB
27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, because it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
Yet, in the middle of a room of people about to deny him, about to run away - they are about to strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter! He tells them that his blood is going to be the fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:34 where it says, “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.”
How is his grace so powerful? Eleven men, not counting Judas, eleven men who are completing the most intense seminary anyone has ever been to. They’ve walked with Jesus, done life with Jesus, been in ministry with Jesus, cast out demons in the name of Jesus, eleven men. They are about to strike the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter. Don’t think you would have done any better! We need his grace.
It’s easy to talk tough when you’re in a room of people who agree with you. Peter says in Mark 14:29 “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.” That proved not to be true. It’s easy to talk the talk when the people around you agree. It’s another thing to take your stand for Jesus when you’re the only one standing. Don’t think you would have done better. We need his grace.
What turned those eleven men around? What turned them around is what Jesus was thinking about when he said this in Mark 14:25:
Mark 14:25 CSB
25 Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
He is already looking beyond the cross. After his death comes victory over death. After his death comes resurrection. Death has no hold on him.
It says in 1 Cor. 15:55-57:
1 Corinthians 15:55–57 CSB
55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
See, here’s the difference. If the story of the new covenant in Christ was just the cross, it would just be death. If the cross were the end, there would be no hope. Death would have the final reign. How could we embrace his forgiveness if death was all there is?
But the resurrection? Now, death is not the end. There is victory over death. Jesus says there is a new life for you in the kingdom of God! Death is not the end. There is coming a day when we will be with him forever. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Sometimes it gets real foggy in San Diego. You wake up some mornings, and the fog is so thick. You drive around, and its so hard to drive because you can hardly see.
But the same road, once the fog lightens up and goes away, all of a sudden the thing that seemed so hard to see is clear. I can see now where this road is heading.
In the same way, I think during the cross, the disciples felt like a thick, foggy day in San Diego. They were told this was coming, but they couldn’t see. The enemy struck the shepherd, and the sheep scattered. They couldn’t see where this was going.
But then the resurrection, and the fog cleared. Now they could see where the road is heading. Now they see the victory in Jesus Christ.
The new covenant in Christ causes me to embrace his forgiveness because I know that he has the victory. I meditate on his sacrifice and praise God that death has no hold on me because it did not have a hold on him.
There is an opportunity for you to walk in the victory of Christ. You can be a part of this new covenant in Christ through faith.
Conclusion
The new covenant in Christ causes us to examine ourselves.
The new covenant in Christ causes us to embrace forgiveness and remember his sacrifice for us.
Prayer
Communion
We will have communion, remembering Jesus and his sacrifice for us. Meditate on the Lord and where your heart is with him.
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 CSB
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Last Song
Doxology
Numbers 6:24–26 CSB
24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’
Jude 24–25 CSB
24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!
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