Scriptures: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John
18:1-19:42
Since the fifth Sunday of Lent
we have been viewing the events of Jesus’ final earthly days through the
sharing of the Cup. Specifically, the
mystery of the four cups of the Passover, from the ancient Jewish liturgical
perspective and a Christian perspective.
In
the Jewish tradition the first cup is shared as a prelude to the Passover
feast, shared with the bitter herbs. It
is the Cup of Sorrow, a bitter cup to peer into and hold as it is full of
physical, mental and spiritual anguish.
The
second cup in the Jewish tradition is shared after the Passover story is told. It is the Cup of Joy, it is a cup of
consolation in midst of sorrows, hope in the midst of despair, light in
darkness, with its promise of deliverance from our sins.
The
third cup, the cup of redemption in the Jewish tradition and the Cup of
Blessing we share at each Eucharistic feast.
It is the cup that Jesus lifts and shares at the institution of the
Eucharist, at the last supper on the night before he would die.
Yet
there is more to Jesus’ Passover story. Today’s
Gospel story starts with Jesus going out to the garden. He has shared the third cup and sang the
Great Hallel, but as Jewish scholars note in many of their commentaries
something is amiss with Jesus’ Passover meal.
He did not share the fourth cup, the Cup of Consummation! Was it an oversight because he was in a state
of mental anquish or an intentional act with a deeper purpose?
There
are hints in the synoptic Gospels that suggest it truly was an intentional act
to suspend the Passover meal for the time.
After sharing the cup of blessing Jesus says, “…for I tell you from this
time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God
comes.” (Lk 22:18; Mk 14:25; Mt 26:29) They
sang the hymn and went to the garden where Jesus prays, three times, “Father,
if you are willing, take this cup away from me; …” (Lk
22:42; Mk 14:35; Mt 26:39). Take what cup?[1]
While
Jesus was on the cross and “aware that everything was now finished, [he] said,
‘I thirst’ (Jn 19:28). Not
because he had a sudden urge for a drink but to fulfill the scripture. They lifted a sponge soaked in wine to his
lips, and “when Jesus had taken the wine, he said, ‘It is finished’ (Jn 19:30). The Passover feast that began in the Upper
Room has reached its climax with Jesus, the priest and sacrificial lamb, drinks
the fourth cup, the cup of consummation, the cup of our salvation.
