Matthew 26:26-29 #3

Matthew 26:26-29 #3

Now let’s examine the question of whether we ought to drink from one container or many in the partaking of the fruit of the vine.

We are told by some that Jesus and the twelve drank from “the cup,” therefore there was only one cup. And I agree. There was only one cup. But before we jump to some erroneous conclusions, let’s first discern what this “cup” was. In Luke 22:20, notice the words of Jesus: “Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’” Now look carefully at the text and ask yourself, “What is the cup?” Jesus says, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood…” So, what is symbolizing the “new covenant in My blood?” Is it the container or is it what is in the container? The container itself is not what Jesus is referring to. Jesus is talking about the fruit of the vine as the cup. The cup, that is, the fruit of the vine, is His blood. The container is certainly not the symbol of His blood. So, when we all partake of the fruit of the vine, are we drinking “one cup?” Certainly. Regardless of the number of containers we are using, as long as we are only drinking the fruit of the vine, we are drinking one cup.

Consider another text: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21. Now when we “drink the cup of the Lord,” what are we drinking? Are we drinking the container? No, we are drinking the “cup” which is the contents of the container. We have no idea how many containers there were at the table that night. In fact, it would have been quite odd for 13 men to share one container. But the fact of the matter is that we do not know how many containers were there and Jesus did not even talk about the container. He only talked about the “cup” which is the use of a figure of speech we call “metonymy.” We use this figure of speech all the time today. For example, a news anchor might say, “The White House said today…” Well now, did the actual “house” say something or does the White House represent the administration that is based at the White House? Certainly that is what is meant. That is called metonymy. Jesus used that figure when He said that when they drank the cup they were drinking the new covenant in His blood. Churches who insist on using one container are missing the point of the text.

Berry Kercheville