Exodus 24:3-8; Ps 115(116); Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16, 22-26)Scripture Readings 3rd June 2018, Body and Blood of Christ, Year B
After rescuing the Israelites from Egypt God gave Moses the Law, including the Ten Commandments. The animal’s blood thrown over people and altar symbolises the people’s agreement to this covenant.
The psalm gives thanks to God for answering prayers in time of need. Humanly speaking God loses the praise of a faithful servant who dies.
The blood which ratified Israel’s covenant with God foreshadowed the people’s suffering before they could build their kingdom in the promised land. So the Letter to the Hebrews sees Jesus Christ’s suffering and bloody sacrifice as marking the new covenant, which enables the new people of God to enter their eternal inheritance. But, as Paul reminded us last week, as “co-heirs with Christ” we must share in Christ’s suffering “so as to share his glory”. God’s kingdom can be built only through suffering: the Cross is the only way. Like the apostles, we must also drink the cup Christ has drunk, as well as eating the heavenly food we celebrate today.
Mark’s gospel brings us back to the Passover blood of the lamb, with which the exodus began, then forward to the Last Supper, when Jesus’ own blood was drunk to initiate the new covenant. And Jesus commanded us to repeat the Eucharistic meal “until he comes”.
Psalm Response: The cup of salvation I will raise: I will call on the Lord’s name.