March 9

Mark 14:23-25

Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.  "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many", He said to them.  "I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God".

There are four cups of wine that are drank at the Passover service and in order to grasp this scene we have to go back to Exodus 6:6-7.  Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

The Passover service is the retelling of the story of Exodus. The first cup we drink represents the cup of sanctification.  The second represents the cup of deliverance.  In this passage, Jesus is celebrating the Passover with His disciples. The first two cups have been passed around the table and the proper prayers were said over them according to Passover tradition. The third cup represents the cup of deliverance.  This is the cup that Jesus picked up and passed around for His disciples to drink from. All through our reading we have learned that covenants are sealed by the blood of sacrifice.  At the Exodus, the homes of the Israelites were protected by the lambs blood strategically being placed on the door posts in the outline of a cross. Here, we see Jesus revealing to His disciples that it is His blood that will ultimately be poured out for the redemption of many. The disciples couldn't see at the time that what Jesus was telling them was that only His blood could redeem us. Only He can make us right with God. He is our sacrificial Lamb.  The prayer over the first glass of wine is " Blessed are Thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine"  The last verse is very interesting because Jesus says that He won't drink again from "the fruit of the vine" until He drinks it anew in the Kingdom of God. So one question, on my list of many, to ask Him when we meet in Heaven is if he drank that fourth cup of wine at the Passover table.  Perhaps we will all partake in the fourth cup together when we meet in heaven and sit at His Table. 

Randi