The Two Cups
Introduction
The Memorial is a special time of the year, a time when we refocus on the basis for our Christian existence and hope; by remembering the sacrifice Jesus made for us and thereby reconciled us to God.
On the night he was betrayed, at the beginning of the 14th of Nisan, Jesus instituted the emblems of the bread and wine after the last supper he had with his disciples. He gave us both to partake of, which simply but powerfully reminds us that only in him we have true life through forgiveness of sins.
That each Gospel account gives us additional details of the events, and from a slightly different perspective and approach, suggests that all of the accounts need to be taken together as a whole in order to get the most complete picture of those final moments of our Redeemer’s life. The Apostle Matthew arranges his Gospel more thematically whereas Luke arranges the events more chronologically.
Here we will focus on clarifying what the cup Jesus instituted means.
The Gospel of Matthew Account
Matthew 26:27–29 (ESV) And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
In the Matthew account in Chapter 26 verses 27–29, it appears that there is one cup, and that Jesus refers to it both as “my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” in verse 28 and as “this fruit of the vine” in verse 29. If we just take Matthew’s account as the basis for Jesus’ institution of the memorial cup emblem, we might get the impression that not only there was one cup, but that Jesus did drink of this cup – for he says according to the ESV in verse 29 “I will not drink again,” suggesting that he had already drank of it. And some suggest that this therefore shows that the disciples – and by implication all consecrated believers, share with Jesus in his sufferings – after all, like Jesus, we are told to present ourselves a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1.
If Jesus did drink of the memorial cup, what Jesus described as “this fruit of the vine” would seemingly and straightforwardly refer to wine consumed during a supper. The “vine” referring to a grapevine and its fruit as consumed and referred to at the time meant wine, i.e. fermented grape juice – for this was a way of preserving it. Grape juice would of course be an acceptable substitute for those inclined to do so. That Jesus does not refer to the contents according to the normal, commonly used ancient Greek word for wine, oinos, may be significant.
But if the cup was also “my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” – as Jesus states, and if Jesus also drank of it, then we are left with the uncomfortable suggestion that Jesus needed forgiveness of sins provided by his own sacrifice – which of course does not make sense as Jesus was sinless, and no sinner can redeem their own sin.
One solution to this problem seems to be that Jesus did not in fact drink of this cup. And this does seem to be supported by the questionable translation of the Greek preposition “apo” and adverb “arti” in the ESV as “again” in some Bibles. These two ancient Greek words literally mean “from now.” About 10 Bibles translate them as “again”, but at least 15 translate them as “from now” or “henceforth”, and the RVIC2016 as well as Wilson’s Diaglott translate them as “henceforth.” Importantly, the better translations of “henceforth” and “from now” are ambiguous in indicating whether Jesus did in fact drink of the cup or not.
The Gospel of Matthew Account
The Gospel of Mark account is much more succinct in general and here in regards to the institution of the memorial cup, is very similar to Matthew’s.
Luke 1:3 (ESV) “it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.”
The Gospel of Luke account of these events is however fuller, and as mentioned, Luke the physician, paid particularly attention to the sequence of events, and he states so in Luke 1:3, he says “having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.” When he addresses the reader as “Theophilus” he means “lover of God”, which is what the word means in ancient Greek. That Luke wrote his account with particular attention to the sequence of events is important for us.
Luke 22:17–20 (ESV) And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Luke distinguishes between the cup of “the fruit of the vine” and the cup “that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,” as partaking of the bread emblem occurred in between.
Two cups:
- The “fruit of the vine” cup
- The “new covenant in my blood, for the forgiveness of sins, poured out for you” cup
This is important information, for it tells us that there were, in fact, two cups – not one; firstly, the “fruit of the vine” cup and secondly – combining the Matthew and Luke accounts, of “the new covenant in my blood, for the forgiveness of sins, poured out for you.”
1 Corinthians 11:25 (ESV) In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
The first cup was seemingly partaken of during the last supper, as the second cup, the memorial cup was instituted by Jesus after supper – as the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:25.
An important question to ask at this point is, is this important? – one, two cups, what is the difference?
If they are the same cup and if Jesus did partake of it does affect what the cup means, and also what our relationship to Jesus in regards to the cup actually is. As mentioned, some suggest that by drinking of the cup shows that we share in “the sufferings of Christ” with Jesus. So, the implications of whether there are one or two cups is not insignificant.
The “Fruit of the Vine” Cup
If there are two cups, they are different. Does that mean that they signify different things, or anything at all beyond the literal contents of wine?
It seems that that both signify different things.
Both cups literally contained “fruit of the vine” – almost certainly wine. That the 2nd cup, the memorial cup meant more than the literal wine it contained may suggest that Jesus also meant more than the literal wine in the first cup. This seems to be supported by Jesus’ use of the unusual phrase “fruit of the vine” for the wine, as this phrase is only found 3 times in the New Testament and only in the Gospel accounts in relation to the memorial cup. No where else in the Scriptures is the phrase “fruit of the vine” used to refer to wine. The normal word for wine, oinos, is however widely and commonly used in the New Testament, some 34 times.
Luke 7:33–34 (NKJV) For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
As an example, in Luke 7:33–34 we have the word oinos used twice in relation to John the Baptist and Jesus when the Pharisees criticized both – John for not eating bread and drinking wine saying he had a demon, and Jesus for eating bread and drinking wine saying he was a glutton and drunkard. If therefore the word for wine, oinos was commonly used, but that Jesus did not use it for the contents of the first cup but instead used the unusual phrase “fruit of the vine” suggests Jesus may have had a deeper meaning in mind.
John 6:48 (ESV) I am the bread of life.
John 15:5 (ESV) I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Just as the memorial emblem of the bread that they all ate of indicates that Jesus “is the bread of life” – as Jesus explicitly states in John 6:48, the “fruit of the vine” reference may point to Jesus’ statement in John 15:5 that he is “the vine” and that his disciples are the branches – just as all consecrated Christians are. But if it is not literal, what is the metaphorical “fruit of the vine?” This would seem to be the fruits of the spirit that all those in Christ develop. And the full fruitage of the vine will not be evident till the body of Christ is completed at the end of the harvest period when the kingdom of God is established.
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Here the “fruit of the vine” therefore seems to refer to the fruits of the holy spirit evident in all true consecrated believers in Jesus – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This would be consistent with Jesus’ statement that he would not drink of this 1st cup till the kingdom of God comes, or in other words that the full fruitage of the vine would not be evident till the kingdom.
What does it mean then if Jesus drank of this cup? If Jesus did drink of this cup, because he also received the holy spirit, he would also be a first fruit of the holy spirit – and so appropriately drink of the same cup.
Luke 22:16 (ESV) For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
This would also seem to be consistent with Jesus’ statement that he would not eat of the Passover till it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. This statement is also somewhat enigmatic and unlikely to be fulfilled literally in the future, but it does show that the antitype of the Passover is also still not fulfilled. When we examine the details of the Passover, we understand that Israel as a nation was a type for the world in general. The Passover ultimately led to the liberation from the Pharaoh and Egypt, but in the antitype, this has not occurred yet – the world in general has not yet been liberated from the Adversary and his kingdom. In the same way, the “fruitage of the vine” will not be completed and will not be able to be drank of by Jesus and his consecrated followers, till the church is complete and the marriage of the Lamb occurs.
The “New Covenant in My blood, for the forgiveness of sins, poured out for you” Cup
What then, does the second cup mean and indicate? This seems more self-explanatory – for Jesus actually tells us. Jesus says that the cup depicts “the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus’s words seem plain and straightforward enough. Some have suggested that they do not apply to us [believers in the Gospel Age], and that the new covenant will only be inaugurated in the kingdom period. That Jesus says that his “blood, [is] poured out for you,” seems to unequivocally apply it to his consecrated followers now during the Gospel Age, not the kingdom age. When Jesus says “for you,” he means his disciples, and by extension us consecrated believers also.
1 Corinthians 15:19 (ESV) If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Moreover, that Jesus’ blood provides forgiveness of sins – the prime requirement for reconciliation with God means that if we do not have forgiveness of sins in Christ, then we are still in our sins and most pitiable of men. Let us be clear, if the new covenant, which is the only means by which we can receive forgiveness of sins is not in operation, then how can we be reconciled to God by our faith?
That Jesus did not drink of this 2nd memorial cup, because it is a different cup, makes much better sense – for to partake of it would suggest that he needed forgiveness of sins; which of course he did not – for he was sinless.
That only all of the disciples did drink of this cup, showed that they were the recipients of the benefits of his sacrifice – for the forgiveness of their sins. We note what Jesus said when he gave them [and by extension us] to drink of the cup, he said “Drink of it, all of you” – he did not say let “us” drink of this cup.
Partaking of the cup did not indicate a sharing in the sufferings of Christ. Not that we do not partake in the sufferings of Christ – for the scriptures indicate that we do, but the memorial cup does not indicate this. It indicates that we together have in common that we are all dependent on the sacrifice of Jesus for our reconciliation with God through forgiveness of sins.
The Common Union of the Blood of Christ
1 Corinthians 10:16 (NKJV) 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?
But what about 1 Corinthians 10:16, does this not indicate that we share in the sufferings of Christ, when the apostle Paul says “is not the cup we bless the communion in the blood of Christ?” It has been assumed that the common union in the blood of Christ here is a common union with Jesus, but the context and the grammatical usage here of “koinonia” [translated communion] indicate that the common union is with one another – a common participation of the blood of Jesus showing that we all receive forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Here in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10, the Apostle Paul outlines that “the cup we bless” – the memorial cup we ask a blessing for, is not an empty ritual but shows that we are eating at the table of the Lord – we are appropriating the merit of Jesus’ sacrifice to ourselves. And that eating at the table of the Lord is incompatible with eating at the table of demons – which eating of the sacrifices to idols then essentially was. The Apostle warns us to flee from idolatry. There is no suggestion here that we contribute to the food at the table of the Lord. The idolatry we face is much more subtle; it can be the pursuit of wealth, fame, respect, or even a sense of belonging at the expense of the truth but also includes anything that supplants the authority of God’s word.
John 6:54 (NKJV) Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jeremiah 31:33–34 (NKJV) But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: 1) I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 2) No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For 1) I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Jesus said, whoever drinks of my blood has eternal life…as John 6:54 says.
Faith in Jesus provides us with 1) forgiveness of sins, and thereby reconciliation with God, in order that we may, through baptism, receive of His holy spirit and be developed as new creatures, as 2) the holy spirit teaches us all things of God [rather than any man], even the deep things, and it writes 3) His royal law of agape love on our hearts – these are all functions of the holy spirit through the new covenant as outlined in Jeremiah 31; that we may be born on the spirit plane in the image of Jesus – when we will see the Passover fulfilled, when the fruit of the vine is complete through commonly with one another, partaking of the blood of Jesus shown in the memorial cup Jesus instituted – if we patiently endure to the end.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, it seems then that when Matthew talks about the cup of “the fruit of the vine” and the cup of Jesus’ “blood of the new covenant, for the forgiveness of sins, poured out for you” that they are in fact two separate cups – according to the Gospel of Luke. Jesus may have drank of the former – as the “fruit of the vine” seems to refer to the first fruits of the holy spirit – and which will not be evident till the marriage of the lamb, the seed of blessing is complete. The second cup is separate, a cup that Jesus did not drink of – but of which Jesus said they should all drink of, indicating their, and by extension, our dependence on the sacrifice of Jesus for forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to God. Without it God could not give us of His holy spirit in order to develop us as new creatures and be born on the spirit plane in the likeness of Jesus.
Hallelujah, O what a prospect! Praise be to our Heavenly Father and to His son Jesus.
Suggested Further Reading:
Eating at the Table of the Lord
Suggested Further Reading
“Are We Actual Or Reckoned New Creatures?” The Reprints (No. 5325) of the Original Watch Tower and Herald of Christ Second Presence.
“The Ransom.” by Br. David Rice. Faithbuilders Fellowship Journal.
http://www.2043ad.com/journal/2007/02_ma_07.pdf
“Bread and Cup” by Br. James Parkinson. The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom Magazine, March-April 2018.
“Jesus The Name.”
https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2017/07/05/jesus-the-name/
“Who Is the World’s Ransom and Why?”
https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/03/29/who-is-the-worlds-ransom-and-why/?share=press-this&nb=1
“Nehemiah 8:10 — The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength.”
https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/12/20/nehemiah-810-the-joy-of-the-lord-is-your-strength/
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https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2018/03/19/matthew-2627-29-drinking-from-christs-one-cup/
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