Following Jesus Through MatthewSample

An old piano is turned into a flower garden. A tablecloth is cut, sewn, and repurposed into a pretty dress. People flip houses and antique furniture. Rather than throwing it out, they make it into something new.

Jesus’ death and resurrection is all about making something old into something new.

Jesus was a good Jewish man who followed the Law of Moses, attended feasts, and offered sacrifices as the Scriptures taught, even though he was perfect and didn’t need forgiveness. What we call the Last Supper was the traditional Passover feast which reminded the Jews of the exodus from Egypt, when Moses led them out of slavery. The Passover foreshadowed what Jesus would accomplish with his own blood.in this moment with his disciples, Jesus repurposes the traditional meal. He said, “...this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

Jesus was betrayed, beaten, ridiculed, and finally nailed to a cross to die. John records in his gospel (chapter 19) that when Jesus died, he said, “It is finished.” Everything Moses had taught about feasts, festivals, and sacrifices is the old covenant. Jesus’s death for our sake is the new covenant.

From Moses to Jesus, God used Israel to show the ancient world who he is. People would pass through Israel on their way somewhere else and see; it was a “come and see” approach. Now Jesus gives his followers a new command: Go and tell. Let’s tell others that we are lives changed by Christ!

Prayer: God, you make everything new. I give my life to you, and I am excited to see what new thing you will do in me and through me! Amen.