God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.” The word “covenant” is not a common one in English. We are accustomed to contracts where the responsibilities of each party are spelled out. A convenant, by contrast, is about a relationship where the way each party acts changes and develops over time. For example, marriage is a covenant since the way the couple deals with each other cannot stay static but must reflect the many changes that happen to each spouse. The problem Jesus had with his contemporaries is that they were stuck in “contract” thinking instead of convenant thinking. They thought if they just did this and that their duty to God would be fulfilled. They did not understand that something new was called for since, as the saying goes, if you do what you always did you will get what you always got. And Jesus wanted more grace, more peace, more love in our relationship with God.
