…Behold God’s love for you and marvel at the God who has done this. Jesus continues to reveal the Father’s rescue plan.
Jesus’ fellow 1st-century Jews were known to their Roman rulers as the God-intoxicated people. They had a profound grasp of their history and their scriptures. God’s promises were immensely valuable. For over 1000 years, they had been anticipating the fulfilment of Moses’ word. He told them that God would raise a prophet like him from among their fellow Israelites, and they must listen to him. This prophet will speak everything God commands because God will place His words in his mouth (Deut. 18:15,18).
Moses led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt during their first exodus. God required that Israel, as His firstborn son (Exo. 4:22,23), be free so they could leave Egypt and worship Him in the desert (Exo. 3:13). They were guided to Sinai, where God taught them how to worship Him and live well, no longer a community of slaves, but a nation of free men and women able to enter their promised land. He established a sacred family bond with them and a conditional covenant. The blood of the covenant sacrifice was splashed against the altar, representing God, then sprinkled on His new family (Exo. 24:6,8). They share the same blood; they are family. The blood of a sacrifice sealed the covenant, concluding with a heavenly banquet (Exo. 24:9-11).
God guided them, taught them, and provided for their every need throughout the 40-year journey, including a daily rain of manna, bread from heaven, for their nourishment.
Breaching the conditional covenant led to two catastrophic events. In 720 BC, the Assyrians exiled ten northern tribes, and the Babylonians exiled the remaining two in 587 BC. Later, a remnant returned but lost their freedom to Rome after Jerusalem fell to Pompey in 63 BC. The nation had short-lived and violent attempts at self-liberation, a breached covenant, and a temple, the heart of their cultural and religious existence, on the brink of destruction.
But God had sworn, with uplifted hand, to give Israel the land (Exo. 6:8). Therefore, He will do this. His promises are sure (Jer. 33:23-26). There is no room for doubt. A new deliverer is needed. (Num, 24:17-19, Isa. 11:11,16; 59:20, Jer. 23:3,8; 30:3,9-10, 21; 33:7, 15-16, Micah 5:2.) A new Moses.
The Israelites broke the covenant (Jer. 31:32, 2 Kings 18:12). However, Scripture promises a replacement: a new, unbreakable covenant (Ezek. 37:26, Jer. 31:31-33, Matt. 26:28, Heb. 7:22, 8:8, 13; 9:15; 12:24).
They were waiting for their Messiah to lead them out of oppression and exile and into the new promised land. They were ready to embark on a new road home and eagerly looked for the son who would free them, lead them out, establish the new covenant, build a house for the Name, and whose kingdom would be established forever (2 Sam. 7: 13,14; Ezek. 37: 24-28; Isa. 11: 11-16; Jer. 23: 7-8; 30-:3,10; 31: 31-33).
Will this new covenant also be sealed with blood and concluded with a family meal?
…For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins..(Matt. 26: 28)…and as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body…’ (Mark 14:22). According to Rabbi Hezekiah, writing around 3AD, Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jer. 31:31-33) will not be fulfilled until the end of the age when this world ends and the world to come comences…for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God…for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes…(Luke 22:16,18)…