March 22 Divine Service

But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.

Matthew 26:29

Where are we in the Bible? 

We are in the upper room, on the night before the cross, as Jesus keeps the Passover with His disciples. This moment stands at a turning point in redemptive history. Christ faithfully observes the ordinances of the Mosaic Law, especially Passover; not to preserve them indefinitely, but to fulfill them and to teach His followers how His teachings would now be “remembered” - through a new fully actualized institution: the Lord’s Supper. Everything is prepared according to Jesus’ word, and the disciples find no disappointment in trusting Him. Jesus welcomes this Passover, not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. He knows suffering will immediately follow, yet He desires this meal which foreshadows His sacrifice, which serves His Father’s glory and secures humanity’s redemption. Here, Jesus takes His final leave of the Passover, signaling the coming destruction of the temple and the end of the sacrificial system. The ancient rituals are laid aside because the substance of ultimate sacrifice has arrived. What the Passover pointed toward, deliverance through blood, is now about to be accomplished in Him.

When Jesus speaks of not drinking again of the “fruit of the vine” until He drinks it “new” in His Father’s kingdom, He is lifting the disciples’ eyes beyond the table and toward the kingdom of God. The wine no longer points to the past and Israel’s exodus alone, but forward to a greater feast: the joy, fellowship, and triumph of redemption fully realized. He is where we will be and is waiting to have this meal with us (John 14:2). So in this passage, we stand between the old covenant and the new, between their Passover and the first Lord’s Supper, between the present celebration of Holy Communion and the eschatological hope of eternal fellowship in God’s kingdom.

What are the key themes based on the Bible verse

1. Consecration

2. Communion

3. Calling

Foundational readings:

Scripture Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:14-23

Catechism 2.4.7, 8.2.8, 8.2.12-13

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March sermon theme article click here to read

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