The New Covenant in the Gospels
Coming now to the Four Gospels, let me begin with Simeon’s statement in Luke 2. Luke tells us that Simeon was,
“waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Lk. 2:25).
As far as Simeon was concerned Jesus was to have a dual salvific role to the Gentiles and also to Israel:
For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel. – Luke 2:30-32 (my emphasis).
This dual role differentiated Israel from the Gentiles but spoke of salvation to both groups. The subject being about salvation meant that Simeon was alluding to the New covenant, which is the only biblical covenant that is about salvation.
Certainly, one is reminded of Isaiah 42:6b and 49:6:
“I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles.” – Isaiah 42:6b
Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ – Isaiah 49:6.
As I have shown previously, Isaiah 42 and 49 both assert the fact that the Servant (Messiah) will be made “as a covenant to the people.” (Isa. 42:6; 49:8). This is New covenant territory. And if it is New covenant territory, the Gentiles are included in the New covenant.
Matthew Quotes Isaiah and Includes the Gentiles
In Matthew 12 antipathy towards Jesus is increasing, with Jesus warning His followers not to make Him widely known (Matt. 12:15-16). What is worth noting is Matthew’s comment on this incident, which takes the form of an OT quotation:
Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust. – Matthew 12:18-21 (my emphasis).
This long quotation is taken from Isaiah 42:1-4, which of course is a Servant Song. Isaiah 42:1-6 is recognized as a New covenant passage. Matthew 12:21 (“And in His name Gentiles will trust”) is supplied by the Evangelist as a summary of his understanding of Isaiah. This was indicated earlier in the Gospel. In Matthew 8:11 Jesus states, “many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” As many New covenant passages, including Isaiah 42, refer to God’s salvation going out to the nations (e.g., Isa. 49:6; 54:5; 66:19; Mic.4:2; Zech. 8:7-8, 20-23; Mal. 3:12), Matthew is simply following the logic of the New covenant and connecting it with the humble Servant of God, Jesus Christ.
So again we have a NT passage which quotes a New covenant scripture and applies it to the Gentiles.
The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
Matthew 26:28 in the NASB reads,
[F]or this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
Mark 14:24 has,
This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Although the critical text does not include the word “new” (kaine) there is no doubt that the New covenant is in view. And Luke makes it explicit:
This cup which is poured out for you is the [he – definite article] new covenant in My blood.
Seeing as these passages all refer to the New covenant, one should notice how Matthew focuses on forgiveness of sins, while Mark stresses those for whom the blood makes the covenant. Mark 14:24 seems to echo Mark 10:45, which most commentators believe is mirrored in Paul’s statement of 1 Timothy 2:6:
who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
I believe this forms a legitimate causal link which brings the Gentiles (to whom Paul and Timothy ministered – cf. Rom. 15:16) into the New covenant.
Reinforcing this understanding is the fact that those present at the institution of the Lord’s Supper are, along with NT prophets, called the foundation of the Church in Ephesians 2:20. This has to mean that these Jewish apostles, with whom Jesus initiated the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22:20 and directly associating it with the New covenant in His blood, are, like them, included in the New covenant. It would, after all, be an absurdity for the foundation of the Church to be in the New covenant and the Church itself, which included the apostles, to be outside the New covenant!
1 Corinthians 10 and 11 and the New Covenant
In 1 Corinthians 10:16 Paul asks,
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
Then in the next chapter he states,
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:25.
The apostle says he got this information directly from the Lord (1 Cor. 11:23). He is not just utilizing Luke 20:22.
Some claim that the New covenant has not been enacted. But that is contradicted by Paul in the next verse:
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (my emphasis).
Hebrews 9:15 asserts,
And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death..
It is through the death of Jesus that the New covenant is “cut.” Again, the great doxology of Hebrews 13:20 is ripped from the possession of the Church if we are excluded from the New covenant.
Paul’s Use of Joel 2 in Romans 10:13
I will sidestep 2 Corinthians 3 for the moment and turn to Romans 10 where the apostle cites Joel 2:32 and applies it equally to both Jews and Gentiles.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (my emphasis).
This is a New covenant verse, but Paul doesn’t miss a beat. He says “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.” Applying a New covenant verse to both “Jew and Greek”? What is Paul thinking? Simple. Both Jews and Gentiles in the Church are parties to the New covenant.
