The 3rd cup

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him, for the marriage of the Christ (Lamb) is come, and his wife, the church, has made herself ready. Revelation 19:8

Easter has so many outstanding accounts of what Christ did for us two thousand years ago. The Last Supper is one of them, which is the focus of this article. This special time with the disciples occurred midweek between Palm Sunday and the Resurrection. At this special supper, Jesus sat down with His disciples to celebrate the Passover feast. During this traditional gathering, He shared with them about His coming sacrifice and the beginning of a New Covenant that would replace the Old Covenant given to Moses. His words were so profound and memorable that Christians worldwide still repeat His New Covenant message whenever they take communion.

The four accounts of Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22:26, Luke 22:14-20, and I Corinthians 11:23-26 record the Last Supper, each one adding slightly different detail. I merged these accounts into one, paraphrasing where needed. I also included the four cups of wine which are a part of every Passover dinner.

The Last Supper and the cups of wine

In the night on which Jesus was betrayed, He sat down with the disciples for dinner and told them He desired greatly to eat this Passover feast with them before He was to suffer. Jesus then said, “I won’t eat it again like this until the kingdom is fulfilled.”

The first cup of wine called the Kiddush was offered to get the Passover dinner going and consecrate the rest of the evening to God.

The second cup of wine was then offered as the meal arrived. It was like a blessing offered to God before eating.

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples saying, “This is my body which is given for you, take and eat in remembrance of me.”

The third cup was then taken, which was called the cup of redemption, salvation, and grace.

He took this cup, gave thanks, and passed it to the disciples. He then said, “This cup which is poured out for you and the many who have sinned, is the New Covenant which will be forged by my blood. Drink it in remembrance of Me.”

Afterward, Jesus said, “I will not drink from this cup with you again until My Father’s kingdom comes. But as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, remember you proclaim My death until I return.”

The fourth cup was the last to be offered; it was called the benediction cup, ending the dinner and their time together.

After this cup was taken, they all sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Even though each of the four cups is important and has a different symbolic meaning at the Passover dinner, it was the third that was the most significant, because in drinking this cup, it meant the disciples were not only accepting Jesus’ New Covenant, which was solely based on grace and mercy, they were also accepting His proposal to join Him in the kingdom of God.

In a way, His offer to drink the 3^rd cup is like that of a Jewish marriage proposal, which also used the term covenant throughout the Bible to describe a marital relationship between a man and a woman. According to tradition, if a young man wanted to marry a particular girl, he and his father would make their way to the young girl’s home to arrange with her father. The girl could not be a part of the conversation but remained in the next room, awaiting the outcome. If the arrangement was made, sometimes requiring a large dowry, then the young man would enter the room where she was with a cup of wine in hand. He would not have to say anything but only offer her the cup of wine. The cup in this instance meant, I love you and have paid the price for you, will you be my wife? If she took the cup and drank from it, she was saying, “Yes, I love you in return, will marry you, and be yours forever.”

Therefore, when Christ offered the 3^rd cup of redemption and salvation to His disciples at the Last Supper, in a way He was saying to them, I love you, and will pay the price for you on the cross, will you be my bride? The disciples needed to say nothing but only to take that third cup and drink it.

During communion this week, or the next time you partake, you don’t have to say or whisper anything when drinking the wine. By taking it to your lips, you are saying, “Thank you, Lord, for paying the price for me on the cross; I accept your offer of salvation and will be Yours forever.”

If you have never done this before, then do it, for the Lord is stretching out a hand to make you His bride. And if you have already done this, then make this next communion another remembrance and anniversary of your commitment and marriage to Christ.

God speed, and may this Easter remind you more than ever of the love Christ had for you when He bought you with His life on the cross.

(Lyrics from the song How Beautiful; composed by Twila Paris.)

How Beautiful the hands that served

The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth.

How beautiful the feet that walked

The long dusty road and the hill to the cross.