5. The Four Cups of Passover and their meaning

Introduction:

Any believer reading the Gospel accounts of the Passover Meal will see that two cups are mentioned in Luke chapter 22 and just not one as we are accustomed to seeing in the other three Gospels. We are accustomed to only one as this is the cup our Messiah Y’shua referred to as being the New Covenant (in His blood) promised in Jeremiah 31:31. Let us note that every covenant is ratified through the shedding of blood as a sacrifice unto God.

This then is the cup of blessing used in our Communion Service or our Lord’s Supper as a memorial of proclaiming His death till He comes.

Once again it is only when we come alongside our Jewish brethren that the richness of our Hebraic root system comes into being. Only when we bother to look into the culture and the theology can we gleam the fullness of our Judeo inheritance.

The 4 Cups relate to the 4 Promises of God.

"I will bring you out"
"I will rescue you from their bondage"
"I will redeem you"
"I will take you as My people"
Exodus 6:6-7.

Wine is often seen as a symbol of the joy of the harvest and so 4 cups of wine are drunk during the Passover seder meal (order of service) to reflect the fourfold joy of the Lord’s redemption from slavery in Egypt.

The First Cup – The Cup of Sanctification.
This is also the cup used to say the Kiddush (the prayer of sanctification and thanksgiving) repeated every Shabbat to set the day apart unto God.
Luke 22:17 shows us this cup, "Then he took the cup, and gave thanks."

The Second Cup – The Cup of Praise or The Cup of Plagues.
This cup has two names as the Hebrew fathers remember to give thanks to the Lord for bringing them out of the bondage they were under as slaves. Secondly, ten drops of wine are placed on a plate with the finger from this cup as the head of the table recounts the 10 plagues cast upon the Egyptians by Yahweh.

The Third Cup – The Cup of Redemption.
This is the cup which our Lord used to inaugurate the New Covenant but it is also the cup that Judas did not partake of having already left the room to betray Jesus.
Luke 22:20 shows us this cup. "After supper He took the cup"

The Fourth Cup – The Cup of Acceptance.
This is the cup Y’shua said He would not partake of until he drunk it with them in His Father’s Kingdom. As His people would not accept Him because of their leaders, He has put aside this honour until that great day when they will recognise Him and He can lift the Cup of Acceptance with all Israel.
Matthew 26:29 shows us this cup. "I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom."

The 5th Cup – The Cup of Elijah.
This fifth cup has been added due to the promise in Malachi 4:5 that Elijah will come again before the Messiah. This has indeed happened in that Y’shua says if you can accept it then Elijah has come, meaning John the Baptiser who came in the spirit of Elijah proclaiming Y’shua as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Secondly, many see Elijah being one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation who also precede the coming of Messiah when he returns to rescue Israel.

What we should note here is that if Elijah is to physically come twice then why not the Messiah! The first time to take away our sin as the Suffering Servant and then the second time to come again as the Reigning King after rescuing Israel from the Nations at the Battle of Armageddon.

Share this page