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The Greek word, usually translated “covenant” (but sometimes “testament”) by most translators is DIATHEKE. Its first appearance is in Matt. 26:28 which reads:

27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

This is, of course, the famous passage in which our Lord institutes the sacrament known as the Lord’s Supper or Communion. The other synoptic Gospels (Mark and Luke) also record the institution of the Lord’s Supper and in Luke, the wine represents the new covenant (Lk 22:20).

Wait, you say. If the covenant is so important, why is it that Jesus only mentions it once in Matthew, and at that, only as he nears the end of his earthly life? Good question. This occurred to me, also.

By contrast, the word “kingdom” occurs about 56 times in the book of Matthew. And here it is paired with the word “covenant.” Jesus says he will not drink of this fruit of the vine, which represents the blood of the new covenant, until he drinks it with his disciples in his Father’s kingdom. What does he mean by that?

When we get to the occurrence of covenant in the book of Hebrews we will have much more to say about how Jesus, through his blood, is the mediator of the new covenant. Here it is sufficient to focus on the phrase “that day.” There is a day coming, Jesus says, when he and the disciples will be reunited and together will drink of the fruit of the vine in his Father’s kingdom. Just as the Passover meal at the time of Moses represented an exodus from Egypt—with its slavery—into the Promised Land, so this Lord’s Supper represents for Jesus his exit from “the world” and into the kingdom of heaven. The analogy would seem to be that just as the old covenant was tied to the promised land in Canaan, so the new covenant is tied to the coming kingdom of heaven where Jesus ascends after his resurrection, but which is also come among us even here on earth, now. Indeed, we Christians associate that kingdom of God on earth with the invisible church comprised of all those saved by the blood of Jesus.

So it’s true that Jesus’ use of the word “covenant” is sparse in the Gospels, but its use here is significant in its connection with the “kingdom”, a concept which is at the core of Jesus’ central preaching and teaching message.

What practical application can we make of this connection between cup, covenant and kingdom? For me, personally, I continue to hear in my mind those words of my blessed wife uttered from her hospital bed a few weeks before she died. “I want all my descendants to experience the blessings of the covenant,” she prayed. For her, as death neared, the covenant became a powerful symbol of her faith in Christ. Her death ushered her fully into that covenant kingdom, even as her Lord’s death provided the means for that entry. I firmly believe that right now she is drinking with him the fruit of the vine as she rejoices in the salvation which he purchased for her. To him be all praise and thanksgiving!