“I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:28-29
In the economy of God, Jesus doesn’t waste words.
At the start of his earthy ministry, He quoted Isaiah 61:1-2, “…The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners , to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…”. In Luke 4:18-19, we read that Jesus closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down…He began by saying to them “Today this scripture is fulfilled in fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus stopped mid-verse and did not read the end of the sentence. The part of the Isaiah 61:1-2, that Jesus did not read because it was yet unfulfilled was;“…the day of vengeance of our God.”
In the same way, at the Passover Seder (the Last Supper), it is important what the Lord did, and more significantly, what He didn’t do.
At the Passover Seder, the wine is traditionally served in 4 vessels, to correspond to the four promises made by God in Exodus 6:6: “I will bring you out (of Egypt)”, “I will deliver you from being slaves to them”, “and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm”.
The fourth cup corresponds to the fourth promise ,”I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God .”
Jesus is thought to have made this remark between the third and fourth cup, “For I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.” The forth cup will be left untouched by the Lord in anticipation of His wedding day. For in that day, tradition holds, we will celebrate the consummation of our salvation with our Bridegroom at last.
I remember during the weeks before our wedding day (45 years ago) , I picked up my Bride-to-be from her job where she was assistant branch manager of a bank in Springfield, Virginia. While she completed some business with a customer, I sat at her desk and was amused by some writing on her desk blotter. There in beautiful cursive handwriting she had written “Karen Marcia Harris”, “Karen Brown Harris”, “Karen Marcia Brown Harris”, “Mrs. Charles Harris”, and several other iterations with flowery embellishments. I was moved by these musings in anticipation of our marriage, and of her love for me.
Jesus, in like manner, eagerly anticipates His wedding to His Bride, when the Lord will finally “take [us] as His own people, and I will be your God.” “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” (Ps.139:17-18) So too are we; everyone of us, individually, and personally, on the mind of God. More than the grains of sand! This same God, who has created the 200 sextillion stars in the universe and Who called them all by name; (Is.40:26), surely knows every one of the 8 billion human beings on planet earth by name. He especially draws near to the ones who want to know Him.
He has pledged to wait for us in anticipation of when He drinks the wine anew with us in His Father’s kingdom. When we take the bread and the wine as a memorial to His sacrifice, let us never forget Who it is that waits for us.
Questions To Think About
In the economy of God, Jesus doesn’t waste words.
At the start of his earthy ministry, He quoted Isaiah 61:1-2, “…The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners , to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…”. In Luke 4:18-19, we read that Jesus closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down…He began by saying to them “Today this scripture is fulfilled in fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus stopped mid-verse and did not read the end of the sentence. The part of the Isaiah 61:1-2, that Jesus did not read because it was yet unfulfilled was;“…the day of vengeance of our God.”
In the same way, at the Passover Seder (the Last Supper), it is important what the Lord did, and more significantly, what He didn’t do.
At the Passover Seder, the wine is traditionally served in 4 vessels, to correspond to the four promises made by God in Exodus 6:6: “I will bring you out (of Egypt)”, “I will deliver you from being slaves to them”, “and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm”.
The fourth cup corresponds to the fourth promise ,”I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God .”
Jesus is thought to have made this remark between the third and fourth cup, “For I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.” The forth cup will be left untouched by the Lord in anticipation of His wedding day. For in that day, tradition holds, we will celebrate the consummation of our salvation with our Bridegroom at last.
I remember during the weeks before our wedding day (45 years ago) , I picked up my Bride-to-be from her job where she was assistant branch manager of a bank in Springfield, Virginia. While she completed some business with a customer, I sat at her desk and was amused by some writing on her desk blotter. There in beautiful cursive handwriting she had written “Karen Marcia Harris”, “Karen Brown Harris”, “Karen Marcia Brown Harris”, “Mrs. Charles Harris”, and several other iterations with flowery embellishments. I was moved by these musings in anticipation of our marriage, and of her love for me.
Jesus, in like manner, eagerly anticipates His wedding to His Bride, when the Lord will finally “take [us] as His own people, and I will be your God.” “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” (Ps.139:17-18) So too are we; everyone of us, individually, and personally, on the mind of God. More than the grains of sand! This same God, who has created the 200 sextillion stars in the universe and Who called them all by name; (Is.40:26), surely knows every one of the 8 billion human beings on planet earth by name. He especially draws near to the ones who want to know Him.
He has pledged to wait for us in anticipation of when He drinks the wine anew with us in His Father’s kingdom. When we take the bread and the wine as a memorial to His sacrifice, let us never forget Who it is that waits for us.
Questions To Think About
- In your life, how has something you eagerly anticipated affected your priorities? How does this relate to Phil.3:7-8?
- How does knowing that you are on the mind of God (Psalm 139:17-18) and Who has prepared a place for us, affected your prayer and thought life?
Posted in Anticipation