What is the meaning of Matthew 26:28? This is My blood • Jesus lifts the Passover cup and declares, “This is My blood” (Matthew 26:28), connecting the wine directly to His imminent sacrifice. • Leviticus 17:11 reminds us, “the life of the flesh is in the blood,” underscoring that Jesus is offering His very life. • Hebrews 9:22 affirms, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” so the statement announces the necessary means God chose for redemption. • The disciples would hear echoes of Exodus 12:7,13—Passover lamb blood sparing the Israelites—now fulfilled in the true Lamb of God (John 1:29). of the covenant • Covenants in Scripture are always ratified with blood. Exodus 24:8 records Moses sprinkling blood and saying, “This is the blood of the covenant,” a pattern Jesus now fulfills and surpasses. • Jeremiah 31:31-34 foretells a “new covenant” where God writes His law on hearts and remembers sins no more; Jesus declares it has arrived. • Hebrews 9:15 calls Him “Mediator of a new covenant,” and Hebrews 12:24 points to “Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” which is poured out • “Poured out” pictures a deliberate, sacrificial offering, not an accidental death (Isaiah 53:12, “He poured out His life unto death”). • At Golgotha the prophecy becomes history—John 19:34 records blood and water flowing from His side, confirming the literal outpouring. • Philippians 2:8 stresses His willing obedience “to death— even death on a cross,” highlighting that the pouring out is voluntary and purposeful. for many • Jesus echoes Isaiah 53:11-12 where the Servant “will justify many,” and Mark 10:45 where He gives His life “as a ransom for many.” • “Many” points to a vast company from every nation (Revelation 5:9-10) while still inviting each hearer personally; the provision is sufficient for all and efficient for all who believe (Romans 5:15-19). • This phrase guards against exclusivism yet affirms the particular effectiveness for those who trust Christ. for the forgiveness of sins • The goal of the shedding is crystal-clear: complete remission and release. Ephesians 1:7 proclaims, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” • Colossians 1:14 repeats the same promise, grounding our pardon not in our performance but in His sacrifice. • Hebrews 10:17-18 celebrates the result: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more… there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” • The cross is therefore not merely an example of love but the effective means by which God cancels the record of debt against us (Colossians 2:14). summary Matthew 26:28 reveals Jesus intentionally identifying His own blood as the substance that seals the promised new covenant, poured out in a once-for-all sacrificial death, effective for the vast company of believers, and securing full forgiveness of sins. Each phrase builds a sweeping portrait: the Son of God offers His lifeblood, institutes a covenant of grace, sacrifices Himself willingly, extends the benefit to multitudes, and accomplishes total pardon—assuring every believer that nothing more needs to be added to what His blood has achieved. |
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