{"id":2031,"date":"2011-04-04T02:28:15","date_gmt":"2011-04-04T06:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/?p=2031"},"modified":"2011-04-01T18:33:22","modified_gmt":"2011-04-01T22:33:22","slug":"why-did-jesus-have-to-die-the-perspective-of-jesus-of-nazareth-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/04\/why-did-jesus-have-to-die-the-perspective-of-jesus-of-nazareth-part-6.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Did Jesus Have to Die? The Perspective of Jesus of Nazareth, Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Blood of the New Covenant<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the Last Supper draws to a close, Jesus refers to the cup of wine as \u201cmy blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many\u201d (Mark 14:24). This is an allusion to the story in Exodus 24, where the people of Israel endorsed God\u2019s covenant. Then, having sacrificed many animals, Moses \u201ctook the blood and dashed it on the people, and said, \u2018See the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words\u2019\u201d (24:7-8). The new covenant will also be ratified with blood, but in this case with the spilled blood of Jesus, who, like the lambs sacrificed in the first Passover, will give his life so that God\u2019s people might be spared.<\/p>\n

Jesus wasn\u2019t the first one to connect the blood of the covenant with the coming of God\u2019s kingdom. The prophet Zechariah made this same connection in a passage we associate with Jesus\u2019 triumphal entry into Jerusalem:<\/p>\n

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
\nShout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
\nLo, your king comes to you;
\ntriumphant and victorious is he,
\nhumble and riding on a donkey,
\non a colt, the foal of a donkey.
\nHe will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
\nand the war horse from Jerusalem;
\nand the battle bow shall be cut off,
\nand he shall command peace to the nations;
\nhis dominion shall be from sea to sea,
\nand from the River to the ends of the earth.
\nAs for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
\nI will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
\n(Zech 9:9-11)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because of God\u2019s covenant with Israel, which was ratified with the blood of sacrificed animals, God\u2019s king will rule over a global kingdom and God\u2019s people will be redeemed from bondage. Jesus comes as the divinely-anointed king, not at first to lead Israel to victory, however, but to offer his own blood so that the new covenant and God\u2019s universal kingdom might be inaugurated.<\/p>\n

What is the nature of this new covenant? Here is the description from the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah:<\/p>\n

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah . . . I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, \u201cKnow the LORD,\u201d for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jer 31:31, 33-34).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To sum up the meaning of Jesus\u2019 actions and words in the Lord\u2019s Supper, it\u2019s as if he were saying:<\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  • Even as God once saved his people from slavery in Egypt, so God is now saving his people from slavery to sin through me.<\/li>\n
  • Even as the blood of lambs once enabled death to \u201cpass over\u201d Israel, so my blood will lead to the forgiveness of sin.<\/li>\n
  • Even as the first covenant was sealed with sacrificial blood, so the new covenant will be sealed through my blood, poured out for many. I am choosing the way of death, Jesus says, so that the new life of the new covenant may come. My sacrifice will overcome the problem of sin, so that God\u2019s kingdom may be established in all its fullness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    In my next post I\u2019ll sum up what we have discovered about Jesus\u2019 own perspective on the necessity of his death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Blood of the New Covenant As the Last Supper draws to a close, Jesus refers to the cup of wine as \u201cmy blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many\u201d (Mark 14:24). This is an allusion to the story in Exodus 24, where the people of Israel endorsed God\u2019s covenant. Then, having…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[207],"tags":[231,232,208],"class_list":["post-2031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jesus-why-did-he-have-to-die","tag-death-of-jesus","tag-reason-for-death-of-jesus","tag-why-did-jesus-have-to-die"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Did Jesus Have to Die? The Perspective of Jesus of Nazareth, Part 6 - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2031"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2032,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031\/revisions\/2032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}