The Body, the Blood, the Future Drinking of Wine

Mark 14:22-26

 

There’s no commentary in these verses. There’s no place where Jesus says something like, “When I tell you that this is my body, what I mean is... When I tell you that this is my blood of the covenant, what I mean is...” The commentary comes at the cross. After the cross and resurrection, after Jesus taught His disciples the full meaning of all these things, they were able to understand that Jesus really had come to die for us all. His body and blood were broken and poured out for us.

 

Why? For a renewed future. Jesus says in this passage that He will not drink wine again until he drinks it “new (kainon)” in the kingdom of God. It may be legitimate to believe that Jesus was merely saying, “One day I will drink wine with you again, once the kingdom is here.” But it seems even more appropriate to understand that Jesus was communicating something about that kingdom. The wine He would drink in that kingdom would be new wine. Jesus came to redeem the world. Not only will those who believe in Him be redeemed and restored. A new heavens and earth will be put in place. The wine in that time will be better wine in every way than any wine men have experienced since the Fall. And the new wine Jesus here speaks about is just one example of the myriad of ways in which that world will be better than the world we live in now.

 

Jesus gave His body and His blood for us, to bring us into the perfect, new kingdom of God. He makes all things new. And we get to be part of it!