At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). But what is the blood of the covenant? And why is it so important to us?

Today’s passage shows us, by describing the covenant God made with His people. God stated the gracious things He had done for His people and then made clear His expectations for them. And of course the people agreed to live according to the law of the King (Exodus 24:3, 7). Unlike in a contract, each of the parties to a covenant makes unconditional statements – there is no “if/then” language.

And a covenant is a life-long commitment, as shown by the blood oath taken by both parties. In this ceremony, the altar represented God and the twelve pillars represented the people. The slain animals’ blood was placed on both the altar and the pillars – this symbolized both parties taking the blood on themselves (Exodus 24:6,8). By doing this, they were making a simple, if not subtle statement: “If I break my promise, may my blood be shed as the blood of these animals was.”

But that’s just the problem. For as soon as Moses went back up on the mountain to receive more information from God, the people broke their agreement. Exodus 32 explains how they gave up on Moses and on God, and decided to worship a gold-plated image of a calf instead. In the same way, no matter how good any of our intentions may be, none of us can consistently obey God, keeping all of His commandments. That means all of us deserve to have our blood shed, to pay the death penalty that the covenant requires.

But that’s why Jesus’ words at the Last Supper are so important. For He said that the blood of the covenant was His blood. Because He is the Son of God, the blood on the altar represents His promise to die if He broke His Word, so we know we can trust Him. But because He is the Son of Man, because He became one of us, the blood on the pillars is His as well. That’s why He could shed His blood on the cross, paying the penalty that our sins deserve.

Jesus has fulfilled the covenant, keeping God’s Law perfectly and dying for all us lawbreakers. Let’s live for Him today, seeking to love and serve God, not out of fear of death, but in gratitude to the One Who has loved us so much.

Exodus 24:1-11 (NASB)

Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance.
2 “Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.”
3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!”
4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”
8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.
11 Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank.