“Then he
took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink
from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for
many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit
of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my
Father’s kingdom.”” (Matthew
26:27–29, NIV)
“In the
same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant
in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.””
(1 Corinthians 11:25,
NIV)
The Cup; the blood of the Covenant, specifically the New
Covenant; and the fruit of the vine – are all referring to this same
element. Paul also refers to it as the
cup of thanksgiving (“Is
not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the
blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body
of Christ” (1
Corinthians 10:16, NIV); or “The cup of blessing” in the ESV.
As we have already determined, Jesus and His disciples are
indeed celebrating the Passover. The Cup
that contained wine refers most specifically to Exodus 24:8 (8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the
people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance
with all these words.”). Moses is ratifying the Old Covenant. “The people agreed to its provisions;
then sacrifices were made, and the blood was sprinkled on the people and the
altar to signify Israel’s acceptance of the covenant.”[1]
But our Lord refers to it as the
New Covenant in His blood. This is
Christ inaugurating a New Covenant, as noted in Jeremiah 31 with Christ
specifically noting the forgiveness of sins (cf: Mk 14:22–25; Lk 22:17–20).
The New
Covenant was anticipated in the Old Testament
but now is fulfilled in Christ (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 8:8;
9:15; 12:24), promising total forgiveness of sin, spiritual transformation, and
the fulfillment of Israel’s promises to be met within the True Israel, the
Church. The New Covenant is
characterized by:
a)
It
is characterized by internal transformation (Jeremiah 31:3–4).
b)
It
is characterized by ultimate forgiveness and cleansing (Jeremiah 31:34; Ezekiel
36:25).
c)
It
guarantees the obedience of God’s people (Ezekiel 36:2–8).
d)
It
promises the unique, indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27).
e)
It
makes people new (Ezekiel 36:26, 33–35).
f)
It
facilitates the fulfillment of God’s guarantees to Abraham (Jeremiah 31:31–37).
“…“Indeed,
under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the
shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22, ESV). “…You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers,
not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood
of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18–19, ESV).
Why did Paul refer to it as the cup of thanksgiving or the
cup of blessing (τὸ ποτήριον τῆς εὐλογίας)? This Greek word where we get our word eulogy means it is beneficial – a blessing. Indeed as we consider the amazing disposition
of the Christian to be forgiven of sin, it is amazing. It is a blessing.
So the Cup, the fruit of the vine, is indeed a cup of
blessing or thanksgiving. It symbolizes
the blood shed by Christ for the remission of sins, in keeping with the New
Covenant promises.
Previous Blogs:
[1]
Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 161). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2]
Chou, A. (2012, 2013, 2014). New Covenant. In J. D. Barry, L. Wentz, D. Mangum,
C. Sinclair-Wolcott, R. Klippenstein, D. Bomar, … D. R. Brown (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham,
WA: Lexham Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment