6.7.26 – Ahead of, Not Instead of, Part 3

 Do you remember the final scene of the cross? John 19:34—the soldier pierces His side, and out comes blood and water. Some say, "So what? We have blood and water. No big deal." Others say John wrote that as a medical detail to prove He was actually dead. But John was not a careful writer for that reason. He gave you blood and water because the gospel writer is signaling both directions of participation at once. Blood—covenant blood, the blood that binds two people together, the blood of the new covenant. Water—the water of life, from Ezekiel 36, the living water He promised in John 7 that would flow from the believer's heart. Out of His side: both covenant and cleansing, consecration and renewal. The gospel writer says, "Look at what is happening at this cross."

The crucifixion is the demonstration of Jesus' faithful obedience, but it is the life He brings. The blood placed on the heavenly sanctuary that the Hebrews talk about is not proof of death; it speaks of resurrection life that walked through everything death could do and emerged with indestructible life. Hebrews 7 uses sacrificial language: Jesus' lifeblood functions like water—it purifies, it washes, it makes holy. The blood of Sinai ordained Aaron and his sons. The blood is not paying for something; it is creating something: a new identity. The common becomes holy. Disciples become priests. Jesus' blood does for His people what the blood did for the sons of Aaron: He made priests out of disciples.

So when we sit at the Lord's table, what are we doing? Some say the meal is a memorial. In some ways, it is. We remember the suffering, the cross. None of that is done away with. But the meal does much more than memorialize death. The meal causes life. 1 Corinthians 10: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of the Messiah? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Messiah?" The meal does not point you back to a transaction closed 2,000 years ago. It memorializes the accomplishment of His life and points forward into your calling as a disciple of Jesus.

On this 15th day of counting toward the firstfruits of the wine—a Sunday morning of worship and many communion moments—may His table bring to mind more than a substitute transaction.

Shalom!
Alan