The Ultimate Covenant

Why is Communion so powerful?

We’ve heard of wonderful testimonies surrounding Communion—people being healed, couples who were dealing with infertility taking Communion every day and getting pregnant, and of people falling out in the middle of taking Communion. They had an encounter with the Lord that was so powerful while they participated in the sacrament that their bodies could no longer stand up. That’s more than just a wafer and some grape juice. That’s the power of the Living God. To understand more about the power behind this, we need to go back and look at covenant. Communion is the reminder that Jesus Himself gave to us the ultimate covenant. It is the body and the blood of Jesus, shed for us.

Blue Letter Bible tells us that the Hebrew word for covenant, beriyth, is rooted in a word that means “to cut” or “to eat.” Within the expression “cutting a covenant” itself is the graphic depiction of how a covenant was made. When two individuals were cutting a covenant, the ritual included taking a sacrificial animal and dividing the animal into pieces. The two parties would then walk through the scattered carcass, swearing an oath of allegiance in the midst of a path of blood. Essentially, the two parties were making a public declaration that it would be preferable to be like the dismembered animal beneath their feet than to break this promise.

Each blood covenant was a promise of connection, protection, and provision. Like a marriage covenant, where two people are joined into one, the blood covenant created a bond that superseded all other realities. And this was done through the shedding of blood, a public expression that involved the most intimate aspect of life—the blood flowing through our veins. Blood carries and sustains life. Each blood covenant offered a promise that would enhance life, but it came with the potential cost of life.

Life in the Blood

There are doctors who offer what’s called High Resolution Blood Imaging. In this practice, they claim to be able to take a drop of someone’s blood and study it to determine a fascinating array of that individual’s health issues. Using a high-powered microscope, they examine the shape of each blood cell. They look at the way that the cell is interacting with the other cells, and they search out the presence of any parasites in the blood.

Some doctors have even talked about being able to see the evidence of early trauma—such as broken bones or childhood diseases—within the blood. That is wild! Whatever your opinion is of this procedure, it confirms that we have only scratched the surface in understanding the importance of the blood that flows through our veins.

Unless you’re dealing with health issues or you get injured, your blood is probably not something you think of very often. But our blood is miraculous in all that it accomplishes for our bodies. It truly is the river of life. Blood has three main functions: to provide life, health, and protection. The red blood cells transport oxygen from the lungs to every area of the body. They also disperse nutrients and vitamins to the exact parts of the body where they are needed. Our body’s very own Amazon Prime!

 The white blood cells, along with lymphocytes, help to build the body’s entire immune system. Each cell within the blood has a job to do, helping the body to strengthen itself and fight foreign invaders that could make us sick. Some cells build up the immune system, others help the immune system to know exactly what invaders to target. There are certain cells that remember an invasive organism so that the immune system can respond quicker the next time it encounters that same organ[1]ism. There are other cells that keep the immune system under control so that it doesn’t start attacking the good cells within our bodies. What a glorious army the Lord created within us, sustaining and protecting our bodies with this complex combination of blood cells!

When we get a chance to study the intricate way our bodies were created, it gives insight into our walk with the Lord. He is so intentional. So it’s no accident that blood plays such an integral role in the Bible. There is life in the blood. It’s not just a catchphrase.

The New Blood Covenant

 Jesus Christ shed His blood to cut a New Covenant with His creation. To forever bridge the divide of sin that had put a chasm between man and God, He initiated a New Covenant that was prophesied by Jeremiah.

“Behold, days are coming” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” ( Jeremiah 31:31-33 NASB).

This New Covenant at once echoed and fulfilled the promises made to Abram. Instead of coming to earth as smoke and fire, God sent His Son to come to earth in human flesh to walk with us. Instead of a sacrificial animal, torn into two to signify the covenant, God offered His own Son—the spotless Lamb— whose body would be broken as the greatest sacrifice.

We are Abraham’s promise fulfilled. Scripture says that, through our faith, we have become Abraham’s descendants—as numerous as the stars in the sky and blessed by the Lord. “And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29 AMPC). We are “heirs according to promise.” We are the ones God was telling him about thousands of years ago, the ones that would inherit the promises and blessings of the Lord. We are the ones for whom God is a shield and a great rewarder (see Gen. 15:1). The Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham, the father of a multitude, but He also changed our names:

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what His master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you ( John 15:15 NASB).

We have access to God in a way that Abraham, the man who was called the friend of God, had only dreamed about.

 After Jesus’ blood was spilled for the New Covenant, we became not only heirs of Abraham, but also co-heirs with Christ. We share in the inheritance of Jesus.

So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God (1 Corinthians 3:21-23 NASB).

What Jesus did for all of mankind on the cross was unconditional. He will never go back or change His mind. Accessing the fullness of the blessing of this covenant, though, is our choice entirely.

 When we take Communion, we are reminding ourselves of His sacrifice and the personal, unprecedented ways this New Covenant affects every area of our lives. “…He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20 NASB). The blood that was shed was a covenant promise for all of eternity. Nothing would be the same. The blood of Jesus paid for everything. It washed us white as snow, so we could enter the presence of the Lord without an intermediary and without fear. The blood of Jesus gave us freedom and authority. Hell has been defeated for all eternity. And now we get to boldly release Heaven on earth.