It is the 14th of Nisan 30 A.D. when Jesus, His disciples and Jews from everywhere gather in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. It is a festive meal to remember God’s miraculous deliverance of the Hebrews from the mighty burdensome hand of Pharaoh. Ironically, they are commanded to celebrate freedom while still under Roman oppression. (see Ex.12)
At the Seder, each guest has four cups filled with wine.
Cup of Sanctification -“I will bring you out”
Cup of Deliverance – “I will deliver you”
Cup of Redemption – “I will redeem you”
Cup of Praise – “I will take you to be My people”
They are remembering a past event, yet the cups are identified in the future tense. Likewise, when we take communion, we are remembering what Christ did for us in the past on the cross while looking forward to the complete fulfillment of our union with Him in the future.
We know from scripture and the tradition of the order of the Seder, that Jesus lifts up the third cup, the cup of redemption, and offers it to His disciples declaring, “This is My blood poured out for you.” (Luke 22:20) “This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt 26:28) Jesus holds up this cup in particular because in just a few short hours He will drink the cup of suffering, the cup of sorrow, the cup of God’s wrath not symbolically but for real.
At a Jewish wedding a groom also holds up a cup towards his beautiful bride to be. It is
called the “Kiddush cup”. He lifts it up to her signifying he offers his entire life to her. If she accepts his offer , they drink of the cup together representing a
holy covenant. He gives his life to her, and she accepts by giving her whole life to him.
In the same way Jesus is offering his blood, his life to redeem us from sin and death. In Luke it states He gives thanks before he partakes. Can you hear the heartbeat of The Groom for His own in Luke 22:15 ? “With all my heart (Phillips) I have eagerly (EHV), fervently (CSB), had a deep longing (TLB) to celebrate (CJB) this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. He is thankful . “For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross” (Heb 12:2). He is thankful to the Father for the cup of redemption when he knows full well that He is the only One who can “drink” from it to purchase men for God.
He holds up the cup of sorrow and partakes so we may drink from the cup of joy, the cup of salvation, the cup of praise, the cup of thanksgiving (Psalm 23:5 & 116:13, 1 Cor 10:16).
Two cups. One proposal .
Do you accept?