The Articles of Worship
Doug Hamilton
Part B) Lord’s Supper: “The Fourth Cup of the Christian”
The passage that we refer to as “The Lord’s Supper” is often taken for granted. As
discussed in the last lesson, on the first day of every week we follow a pattern set forth in
the early church of breaking the bread and drinking the cup. Often we do this without
really allowing the true meaning to play a part in our minds, hearts and souls in a way
that has purpose and importance like it should. I am persuaded this additional lesson on
the Lord’s Supper will assist in keeping a healthy perspective for this solemn moment of
corporate worship. To do so, let us return back the night of the inauguration by Jesus.
Matthew 26:26-30, And while they were eating, Jesus took {some} bread,
and after a blessing, He broke {it} and gave {it} to the disciples, and said,
"Take, eat; this is My body." 27 And when He had taken a cup and given
thanks, He gave {it} to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this
is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness
of sins. 29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from
now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's
kingdom." 30 And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of
Olives.
The Jews of the first century and the modern era, used four
ceremonial cups of wine in the Passover Feast. They base this on
the four phrases of deliverance of Exodus 6:6-7 "Say, therefore, to
the sons of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from
under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from
their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm
and with great judgments. 7 'Then I will take you for My people,
and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD
your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians.’”
This was one if the holiest days for the Jews and it carried the theme of deliverance.
They would smear the blood of the lamb on the doorpost and God would “pass over”
them concerning the death of the firstborn. The tradition of the Jews using four cups of
wine developed around the passage of Exodus 6:6-7, for each cup symbolized a form of
that deliverance. What is the four-fold emphasis of the Passover? 1) “I will bring out”, 2)
“I will deliver” 3) “I will redeem” and 4) “I will take”. (Marcus, Yossef. "What is the significance of
the four cups of wine?". Chabad. Chabad. Retrieved 20 March 2011.)
Why cover the Jewish feast of the Passover? By examining each of these cups in
detail, we will be able to ascertain a better perspective to our modern day communion
within Christian worship.
1. Cup One: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…”
The first cup was usually taken with the hors d’oeuvres in the main house
in preparation of the primary meal of the lamb. They would take some of the
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The Articles of Worship
Doug Hamilton
blood of the lamb and spread it on the doorpost of the entrance to the home.
Exodus 12:7, “Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the
two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.” They drank
the first cup of wine in recognition of the evening of their deliverance from
Egypt. During this cup, the blood of the lamb which was slain would smeared
upon the doorposts of the home.
The meal Jesus and the Disciples partook of was being taken
in a large upper room. Since the doorposts of the house are
located downstairs, the first cup of wine was not recorded in our
gospel accounts. We do have record of eating the hors d’oeuvres
in the form of morsels (John 13:26), but the smearing of the
blood on the doorposts already occurred by the time the account
is open to us.
2. Cup Two: “I will deliver you from their bondage…”
The second cup of wine was to be taken with the inquiry prior to the meal
of the Passover. A young boy from the family was to ask “What does this
mean?” This is found in Exodus 12:26, “And it will come about when your
children will say to you, 'What does this rite mean to you?' 27 that you shall
say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the
sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’”
They would drink the wine of the second cup
while recounting the glorious deliverance from
Egypt and the bondage for which they were
subjected. Since there was not a young boy in the
upper room with Jesus, perhaps it makes sense that
the youngest of apostles, John, is next to Jesus in the
“good” seat. Ironically he was in the place of the
youngster based on historical practice.
The second cup of wine is the first of two cups
mentioned in Luke’s account of the Passover. It is
found in Luke 22:17, “And when He had taken a cup {and} given thanks, He
said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves…” The sharing of the second
cup communicated complete agreement and understanding of the bondage
which they were freed from. They were to be united in the thought that God
was a deliver from BONDAGE. Exodus 12:8, “And they shall eat the flesh
that {same} night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened
bread and bitter herbs.”
3. Cup Three: “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great
judgments.”
The third cup of the Passover was to be taken after the completion of the
meal, further focusing on their deliverance. Its focus was not from bondage,
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The Articles of Worship
Doug Hamilton
but from JUDGMENT. Exodus 12:12, “For I will go through the land of
Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute
judgments-- I am the LORD.” They drank from the third cup in recognition of
the “passing over” of judgment of death of the first-born.
With outstretched arm, God used his power to deliver His people from the
plagues and particularly the death of the first-born. This was the second cup
mentioned, not by Matthew or Mark, but by Luke in 22:20, “And in the same
way {He took} the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured
out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”
It was with this cup that Jesus instituted the Lord’s
Supper. All mankind was facing death and the
necessity of the shedding of blood for “Passing Over”
of judgment which awaits mankind. There must be a
blood sacrifice, either ours or a substitute’s blood.
Hebrews 9:22, “…all things are cleansed with blood,
and without shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness.” Jesus was focusing on the impending
breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood
for us on Calvary. We must keep that in our memory or there will be no
“Passing Over” of a JUDGMENT from God.
4. Cup Four: “I will take you for My people, and I will be your God.”
This fourth cup was taken at the conclusion of the meal and was referred
to as the “Cup of God’s Presence”. This was so because its focus was on
fellowship and unity in the PRESENCE OF GOD. This cup was not
mentioned by any of the gospel writers, for it was not partaken of. Matthew
and Mark similarly confirm this. Mark 14:25-26, “Truly I say to you, I shall
never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in
the kingdom of God." 26 And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount
of Olives.”
Did you catch that? Jesus closed His last earthly Passover by rejecting the
fourth cup and closing with the hymn of the Hallel. He would not drink “of
the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Why would He say such a thing? Does it carry some significance today? The
answer is… a big YES!
Jesus turned His focus to a true “Cup of
God’s Presence”, the gathering of the kingdom
of God. When time is over, we will dine with
Him in the very PRESENCE of GOD!
Revelation 19:9, And he said to me, "Write,
'Blessed are those who are invited to the
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The Articles of Worship
Doug Hamilton
marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of
God." What do we do until that glorious day?
Application: The Church partakes of the fourth cup with Jesus.
Revelation 1:6 says of the church, “He has made us to be a kingdom…” Colossians
1:13–14 states of Christians that God, “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and
transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.” 1 Peter 2:9 calls us, “…A royal PRIESTHOOD…” We have God’s
kingdom written all over us. As discussed earlier in the series, the church has been the
kingdom of God since the day of Pentecost in the first-century.
Jesus said He would drink it new in the kingdom
of God. The church has been partaking of the fourth
cup with Jesus for the last twenty centuries. You
kingdom people, the church, those saved by the
blood of Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, have His
blood smeared on the doorposts of your hearts. When
we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are sharing in
the fourth cup of the Passover with Jesus. He saved
that for us!
We have a date with Jesus Christ in heaven on
that glorious day of resurrection and we will sit down for an eternal fellowship in the
presence of God. Even though that is yet to come, today we are in the kingdom of God.
Keep that in mind when you take the Lord’s Supper.
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