Jesus’ Death: The Beginning of a New Covenant

By Richard Cox

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”Jeremiah 31:31, 33 (KJV)

It's Easter time once again; when churches reflect upon Jesus Christ's sacrificial death and celebrate His triumph Resurrection. Faithfully, many churches conduct communion services periodically throughout the year in remembrance of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice of love, redemption and reconciliation. It’s especially a time to remember the new covenant of grace established by God after Jesus’ sacrifice for mankind’s sin as the Lamb of God.

Jeremiah prophesied long ago that God would establish a new covenant with humanity. In Jeremiah 31:34 (KJV) he said, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” This new covenantwould be implemented through Jesus’ blood as the sacrificial Lamb of God that had the awesome power to redeem mankind from sin and reconcile God’s relationship back with mankind.

John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God in John 1:29 (KJV) where he said, “…behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Lambs were sacrificed on Old Testament altars as sin offerings.

Today, we can have a daily right and privilege to commune with God in prayer, praise and worship. Some of the primary Old Testament covenants observed were levitical priesthood, animal sacrifices and circumcisions. These traditional practices all ceased after the new covenant was established by the early church.

We find in First John 4:9-10 (KJV) how much God really showed His love to mankind, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” The idea of the new covenant is a correlation to Jesus’ message He preached on earth concerning the Kingdom of God: both are expressions of God’s saving act for mankind.

Here are some metaphors used to describe Jesus’ death:

Bread of Life – Jesus taught his disciples about being the everlasting Bread of Life. In John 6:47-51 (KJV) Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” This analogy of flesh and bread refers to Jesus satisfying our spiritual needs. If we eat Jesus’ bread we shall receive eternal life.

Corn of Wheat – Jesus says in John 12:24 (KJV), “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth more fruit.” Jesus compares his death to a seed that falls to the ground and dies which thereby produces many seeds. The point of this metaphor is that Jesus’ death will bring benefits of salvation to humanity. Without Jesus' death there would be no such benefits.

Matthew 27:50-51 (KJV) says at the moment of Jesus’ death, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His Spirit. And behold the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom.” Jesus’ death tore the very fabric of the Godhead (the Father, Son and Holy Ghost). It was this separation from God that was the price Christ paid for our sins. The “law of commandments and ordinances” which enforced the separation between the Jew and Gentiles was abolished in the flesh.

Ephesians 2:12-16 (KJV) says, “…But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peach, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.”

Only the High Priest was permitted to pass beyond the Holy of Holies veil once each year and enter into God’s presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins. Exodus 30:10 (KJV) says, “And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord”.

From some accounts the veil was somewhere near 60 feet high. It was four inches thick and fashioned from blue, purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. The tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus’ death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins forever. It now signified that the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all time for both the Jew and Gentile. When Jesus died, the veil was torn, and God moved out of that place never again to dwell in a Temple made by hands. Acts 17:24 (KJV) says “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”

In a sense, the veil was symbolic of Christ, Himself. Christ is the only way to the Father. John 14:6 (KJV) states, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The High Priest had to enter the Holy of Holies through the veil. Now Christ is our superior High Priest. We can now enter the Holy of Holies by Jesus. Hebrews 10:19-20 (KJV) says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and live way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh.” Jesus’ death has removed the barriers between God and man and now we may approach Him with confidence and boldness.The faithful can enter into the sanctuary by the “blood of Jesus”, by the new and living way that Christ opened for us through the veil, that is, through his flesh.

Jesus’ death also put to death the basis of hostility between Jew and Gentiles by providing access to God to both groups through His sacrifice. Let’s take this great truth to heart and seek fellowship with Christians whatever their race or background.

Hebrews 10:16-17 (KJV) states, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. “