“And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will never eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and offered the bracha, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you that I will never drink of the fruit of the vine from now on, until the kingdom of God comes.” Luke 22: 15-17 TLV
In June 2009, close to the Upper Room on Mt. Zion, a limestone cup from the time of Yeshua was discovered in a first century mikveh, a ritual immersion pool. Ten cryptic lines written in Aramaic, along with the sacred name of God, were scratched on its surface.[1] As far as I know, and I check periodically, those lines have yet to be deciphered.
I have long been fascinated by that find, but it is not the most intriguing cup from the area. The most significant cup from Mt. Zion has been both lost to history, yet with us constantly. I am speaking of the cup which Yeshua used to sanctify the Passover meal with His disciples. When did the cup make its way into the Passover story? The Passover cup is a late tradition in Judaism. Alongside the bitter herbs, the lamb and unleavened bread, on that first Passover in Egypt it was not mentioned. By the time of Yeshua, however, the cup had become a means to tell the story of redemption. The Gospels may be the earliest witness to multiple cups at the Passover!
Our next witness to Passover’s cups is found the Mishnah from the Second Century. It speaks of a minimum of four cups at Passover.[2] The Gospels mention two of the four cups, the “Cup of Blessing” (I Cor. 10: 16), and the “Cup of the New Covenant” (Luke 22: 20). Yeshua’s words, “Drink from it, all of you,” (Mathew 26:27) make this a cup of communion.
An Ancient Practice Continued
In Israel, Jewish believers still keep the Passover, remembering in its four cups not only Yeshua’s death but also Messiah’s promise to come again.
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” I Corinthians 11: 26 TLV
This Passover in Jerusalem I have the honor to lead a unique Seder, which we call the Meal of Messiah, for between 50 and 80 people on the seventh day of Unleavened Bread. But for a moment, we want to focus on the four prophetic cups of the Meal of Messiah.
- The Cup of Consecration
- The Cup of Commitment
- The Cup of the Covenant
- The Cup of Messiah’s Coming
What do I mean when I say the first cup is one of consecration? It is called the cup of consecration, the kiddush, for it sets us apart to be holy. Along with the cross, the cup exemplifies what it means to follow Messiah. By this cup of consecration, we are offered salvation. The cup which He blessed, was passed from individual to individual. Each person was responsible to not only partake, but also preserve its contents for the next person, until that cup could make its way back again to Yeshua.
I have had the joy of drinking from that cup! Not the exact cup which Yeshua held and passed by hand to John, Peter, and Thomas, but I have tasted that cup. Someone passed it to me along my journey, sharing with me the Good News of Yeshua. I have endeavored to also preserve and pass that cup to others.
There is a beautiful picture in Yeshua’s cup for He did not finish its contents. He is yet waiting until all have had a chance to drink. Only then, in the Kingdom of His Father, will He drink of it again.
“For I tell you that I will never drink of the fruit of the vine from now on, until the kingdom of God comes.” Luke 22: 17 TLV
The limestone cup found on Mt. Zion, with its cryptic text, is still waiting to be deciphered, but Yeshua’s cup and invitation to “drink of it, all of you” is to be clearly proclaimed until He comes again.
Tomorrow, I will post about the Cup of Commitment, a better title might be the Cup of Betrothal. At some point in the First Century, it became common to combine the Passover meal and the betrothal meal into one. Might there be some connection to Yeshua’s words about going to prepare a place at the Father’s house and the cup of betrothal? Join me as we explore the second cup of Passover.
[1] Pfann, Stephen. “The Mount Zion Inscribed Stone Cup.” Accessed April 13, 2022. https://www.uhl.ac/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MtZionInscribedStoneCup.pdf.
[2] Mishnah, Pesahim 10.1