On this Thanksgiving Day in the US, we are especially mindful of everything we are grateful. Interestingly, there are several passages in the Gospels that specifically mention Jesus giving thanks. Because He is our perfect example, we can and should learn from Him. Matthew 26, Jesus gives thanks for the covenants.
In chapter 26, the gospel of Matthew is entering its final section, the culmination of the salvation plan laid down with the foundation of the world. He is in a borrowed upper room sharing what will be His last meal with those closest to Him. It is no ordinary meal, though. It is the Passover meal.
The Law and tradition outlined all the phases of the meal, how it was to be prepared and how it was eaten. Several prayers were offered through the remembrance including the prayer in verses 26-28.
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26-28
One the surface, this looks like Jesus giving thanks for the bread and the wine like we saw in the first post in this series. However, because it is Passover, those prayers are part of the observance, there is more to them.
The prayers recall and give thanks for the Old Covenant.
Each of the Passover segments and prayers were keyed to the promises God made in Exodus 6:6-7.
Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Exodus 6:6-7
Then in Joshua, we read: Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. Joshua 21:45
God chose a people for His name’s sake, redeemed them and gave them an earthly rest and inheritance that looked forward to an eternal rest and inheritance. Because of His grace and His love He made a covenant with Israel.
We can also be thankful for the Old Covenant. It shows the heart of God. It reveals how He initiates a relationship with sinful man. It gives us a hint of the riches of His mercy He has yet to reveal. Further, we can be thankful because the Old Covenant shows that God keeps the promises He makes.
The prayers institute and give thanks for the New Covenant.
Jesus had spent Passovers with His disciples before. This one was different. On this night, He infused the elements of bread and wine with a new meaning. From this point forward, they would stand for His body broken for us and His blood shed for us. It signified the New Covenant wherein all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The Law is fulfilled, the final atonement paid. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
So we can be thankful for the New Covenant because it made a way for us to come to God and have our sins not simply covered to be dealt with later, but erased. It is available to whosoever will. It removes the shame of Eden, the stigma of sin and the curse of the Law, which we were powerless to do.
Typically, we think of our family and friends, our health, our finances and so forth when asked what we are thankful for, and we rightly should be thankful for all of those. God is good. Beginning today, during this observance, and following Jesus’s example, let’s thank God for His covenants, both the Old and the New Covenant.