November 5, 2024
Today’s Reading: Hebrews 9:11-22
Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 7:1-29; Matthew 23:1-12
How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. (Hebrews 9:14-17)
A man sits in a room with twelve other men. The twelve are legal witnesses. This is serious business. The man knows that he will shortly die. He has assembled the legal witnesses in order to establish his Last Will and Testament. Upon his death, his legally binding Last Will and Testament will be put into effect, and his wealth will be distributed to his beneficiaries, as he established in his testimony to his legal witnesses.
The man on His way to His death is Jesus. Into this death, He was baptized to be the sacrificial “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
His wealth to be distributed? His Body and Blood (“Take, eat … Drink ye all of it … this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” [Matthew 26:26-28 KJV]). The beneficiaries? They’re the sinners for whom He will shortly die.
When you go to the Lord’s Supper, you are receiving the Last Will and Testament Jesus made before He died. As Hebrews 9 says, a Testament is put into force only upon the death of the Testator. Jesus is the Testator. He then died. His death puts His Testament into force until He comes again. So take and eat, take and drink; it is His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Because He is bodily resurrected and living, His wealth, His Body and Blood, never runs out.
By the way, some Bible translations weakly use the word covenant instead of testament. So why does your Pastor always repeat Jesus’ command as “this is the New Testament in My Blood” when consecrating the Lord’s Supper? To answer that, look at Hebrews 9:16-17, where Scripture makes clear that the Greek word is here, emphasizing that it is the legal testament made by a man before his death. In this case, the man making the testament is Jesus; the beneficiary of the wealth is you. Your sin is forgiven. For Jesus will never abandon the promise of his Body and Blood.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
O Jesus, blessed Lord, to Thee My heartfelt thanks forever be, Who has so lovingly bestowed On me Thy body and Thy blood. (LSB 632:1)
-Rev. Warren Graff, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NM
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.
Spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word throughout the Church Year with the Enduring Grace Journal. Includes scripture readings, prayers, prompts, and space for journaling. The Church Year Journal, Enduring Grace, now available from Concordia Publishing House.
