“And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’” (Matthew 26:39)
Of what cup does Jesus speak? The cup of which Jesus spoke is mentioned throughout Scripture and it always refers to God’s judgments and wrath.
- In Psalm 75:8 we read, “The wicked will drink the cup in the hand of the LORD.”
- In Psalm 11:6, speaking of the wicked, David said that fire and brimstone will be the portion of cup.
- In Jeremiah 25:15, 17, God told the prophet, “Make the wicked drink this cup of My wrath.”
- Isaiah 51:17-22 speaks of “the cup of God’s anger and the chalice of His wrath.”
- Jeremiah 49:12 and Lamentations 4:12 state that “Edom will drink the cup of God’s wrath.”
- Ezekiel 23:21 declares that both Israel and Judah will drink the cup of the LORD.
- And in Revelation 14:10-11 we read that “those who worship the beast will drink the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger.”
This is the cup which Jesus drank down to the dregs – the cup of God Almighty’s wrath. On the cross Jesus faced infinitely more than the physical sufferings of nails in His feet and hands and a spear in His side. He endured the full fury of God’s wrath. Hell is what Jesus endured upon the cross. The same message is portrayed in the Passover Lamb, of which Jesus was the fulfillment (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7). God was specific that the Passover Lamb had to be “roasted with fire” (Exodus 12:8-9). And it was the unquenchable fire of God’s wrath that Jesus endured on the cross.
If Jesus endured the full fury of God’s wrath upon the cross, if He drank the cup of God Almighty’s anger, then which cup is it that we drink? We find the answer in Matthew 26:28. “When he had taken the cup he said, “Drink from it all of you. This is My blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.”
And every time we partake of Holy Communion we renew a marvelous exchange with Jesus Christ. We give Him the cup of God’s wrath and he gives us the cup of God’s forgiveness. We give Him the filthy rags of our unrighteousness and He gives us the spotless robe of God’s righteousness. We give Him the sentence of eternal damnation and He gives us the gift of eternal life.
REFLECTION
- If Jesus bore our sin and guilt, then should we be tormented by feelings of guilt?
- If Jesus fully absorbed God’s wrath, then what is there for us but God’s love?
- Let us rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ and praise His name forever.
